New Arrivals and what I’m currently reading.

Sorry for not keeping you all up to date! I'm not really sure what happened there, but you can probably blame the knitting.

Anyway, I'm currently reading Steel by Carrie Vaughn. It's really good so far, and I've noted that the pacing so far has been pretty much perfect. Nothing has happened without a reason, and there hasn't been too much happening at once.

Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen arrived in the mail the other day, and I’ll be starting it soon. I'll probably switch back and forth between Beyond the Grave and Steel until I finish them both. That's a lot of fun to do. :)

So I'm off to catch up a little on my reading. Happy reading, everyone!!

Quick Review: Deltora Quest, Volume 1, by Emily Rodda.

Rhia’s Review - Deltora Quest has always been pretty much my favorite series ever. It was my replacement series between Harry Potter books. It was one of my first obsessions. It is still one of those series that I can call a foundation of my life, helping to shape me into the person I am today. I still think about it often, especially during the summer (I have fond summer memories of the series) and in fact was just thinking about the other day. So, when I was at Borders and saw it sitting on a shelf where it didn't belong, practically appearing right in front of me, there wasn't a single moment of hesitation in me before I snatched it. Literally.

I read it in two nights. I hate to say it, but I'm not impressed.

Volume one covers what I would call about the first half of the Forests of Silence. The art is not visually spectacular, which is important if the story has already been told, because it's the only new thing you have to offer. While I don't think the art is *bad* per se, it's just nothing special. Also, if I didn't know better, I would have sworn that Endon was a female. He looked like a girl when he was young, and a woman when he was grown. Including pearl earrings. It just wasn't right.

I know it has been a while since I first read the series, but something about the adaptation for the mange didn't seem right. I think all the major plot points were covered pretty well, but it wasn't told the way the story deserved to be told. I think it's because it is geared for younger readers, and it felt as though the story was told to simply.

The only thing I really got out of it was an urge to re-read the original series, and yet somehow I still don't regret buying it.

Recommendation- This manga version is probably great for young or reluctant readers, and may spark an interest in reading the original books, which would be a step up. And hardcore fans of the series and/or its anime adaptation may find a need to include this in their collection. (I did.)

the Other Books- At $10.99 each, I don't think I’m really interested in buying the rest of the series. Even with the going out of business sale at Borders, the price is still a little too high. If I could get them a little cheaper, then I might consider getting them to complete my collection. Otherwise, I think it’ll stick to the real thing.

The Vitals – You can pick up the first volume of the manage in paperback for $10.99.

One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen

Summary from goodreads.com – It's taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I'm settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it's not as if Noah is anything more than a friend….

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I've opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

 

Rhia’s Review – One of the things I think I loved most about this book was how well I was able to relate to charlotte this time around. Seeing her in a more stable state of mind about her family and school lives, I feel like I met the real Charlotte this time.

The storyline of One Hundred Candles was a bit more mature that Past Midnight and I got sucked in a lot quicker. It was little darker, a little more intense, and events had a greater impact on Charlotte than I think they did in Past Midnight. However, this book would not be anywhere near as enjoyable if Past Midnight hadn't set everything up first, and I think the transition from the first book to this one is perfect. It feels like the story is growing, just like Charlotte.

I felt as though new character Dr. Zelden was going play a bigger part in the story, and while he was very important, I kept expecting for him have to, shall we say, screen time. I do think, though, that he will probably appear in the later books.

With this book, Mara Purnhagen has turned me into a loyal fan, and joined the ranks of my most favorite authors. I'm now officially hoping she'll make it to the Decatur Book Festival someday so I can meet her.

I can't wait to see what's in store for Charlotte next. In fact, one of the best things about these books so far is that you can't easily tell where the story is going to go next. In most series, the next step in the epic quest is pretty much laid out for in the book you're reading, but the books in the Past Midnight series are mostly self contained. So while we know some of the personal things that Charlotte will be dealing with come the next book, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what supernatural force she will encounter next.

 

The Recommendation – I think anyone who is a fan of a good ghost story will really enjoy this series. Also, if you read the first book and wanted to know what happened next, but hadn't made up your mind about reading it yet, it is definitely worth your time. You won't be disappointed.

 

The Other Books – The events that took place in One Hundred Candles have left me burning to see what will happen in Beyond the Grave, book 3, which is out in September. It's definitely on my list!

 

The Vitals* – One hundred Candles is available from Harlequin Teen in paperback for $9.99.

 

The Links – Mara Purnhagen's Website

 

*=All prices are from the cover of the book itself and are subject to change without notice, and without this page reflecting those changes.

 

Currently Reading: One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen

Okay, I don't remember what page or chapter number I’m on, but all I know is that this book is awesome, and I stayed up much later than I should have reading last night. I can't wait to read more, maybe even finish the book, tonight! It's seriously that great!

I just have to say that while reading One Hundred Candles, I kept picturing Harris as the guy who plays Rick on Vampires Suck.

So far I am very satisfied with this sequel, and it is quickly working its way up on my favorite list!

New Arrivals!

Sorry for the lack of updates the last couple of days. Don't really know what happened to the time. But I have some things to share, and I'll split it up into the appropriate posts. We'll start with my adventure Sunday.

Sunday I met a friend of mine, who I haven’t seen in a while, at Borders while she was in town. We wanted to see if they had anything good left, and I got a pretty good haul. I found Pretties by Scott Westerfeld, already marked down to 3.99, and then it got it for less than 3 bucks. I also got my hands on Entice by Carrie Jones, Steel by Carrie Vaughn, and the first volume of a manga based on Deltora Quest. I’ve already read that last one, and the review is coming up! I had a blast with one of my best friends, and actually managed to stick to my limit imposed, quite rightfully, by my parents! I even had to make a choice and put a book back, which I did, which was very hard. Mom left me with the credit card and told me she'd be in sears. Oh the temptation! But my mom doesn't trust me with things like for nothing, so I was a good girl.

Off to finish writing posts, and then on to more reading, and knitting!

Currently Reading: One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen

Current Page: 92

About to begin chapter 9 of One Hundred Candles. Really enjoying reading it, and I can't wait to see what happens next! I know new character H is hiding something. I can smell it. I find that both storylines, Charlotte's personal life, and her supernatural life, are both interesting, possibly even more so than Past Midnight. I'm definitely enjoying the more personal aspects this time around. The relationship conflict that's going on is very intriguing.
Off to read more!
Happy Reading, everyone!

Currently Reading: One Hundred Candles

Current Page: 55

Last night I started One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen, the follow up to Past Midnight.  Mara is super nice, so I couldn't wait to start reading this book when it came! I'm just getting to chapter 5, and I'm really interested so far. I feel like this book picks up more quickly than Past Midnight, which is it able to do because there isn't as much to explain.
Linking the introduction of new characters and elements so far; this books seems to have a bit more going on that Past Midnight did at this point.

Have to get back to reading now, I can't wait to see what happens next!

Happy reading, everyone!

Finished Reading: Bedbugs; late update.

Last night I finished reading Bedbugs by Ben H. Winters. I did post about it, but apparently that post never actually went through, for some weird reason. I didn't not feature Bedbugs on Currently Reading because I want to wait until my official review on the 5th of September (The day before the book hits shelves).

In the meantime, I will be starting One Hundred Candles by Mara Purnhagen either tonight or tomorrow. I have to study for my final exam tomorrow, but I’ll dig out that old post and send it out tomorrow evening.

Happy Reading, everyone!