Scarlet - Marissa Meyer

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2)

By Marissa Meyer

In the second book of The Lunar Chronicles, Cinder is back and she has some new friends…and enemies…and a side-kick who doesn’t really fall under either.

Scarlet is a girl whose grandmother has gone missing but luckily the new guy in town might be able to help her.  Oh yeah, and his name is Wolf.  Can’t imagine where this is going, right?  Luckily the story is full of twists and turns and drama and heartbreak with a little twist of romance. 

The story alternates between Scarlet and Cinder with a few glimpses of Emperor Kai just to keep us up to date in what’s going on with him.  Poor Kai, he lost his love and now he’s all confused.  This was a fun book and I can’t wait for the rest of the story to be released.  

**Source: Library copy

Cinder - Marissa Meyer

 Cinder (Lunar Chronicles)

By Marissa Meyer

When I first heard about Cinder, I was intrigued by the idea.  I mean, a cyborg Cinderella story…heck yes!  But there were also so many ways this story could disappoint.  Well it didn’t.

Prince Kai is dreamy, Cinder’s step-mother is awful, and her fairy-godmother is more of a cute old man scientist.  All that was missing were some friendly animals…which came in the form of a cyborg buddy.  Anyway…there is this plague that is killing people off left and right and Cinder just wants to get the hell away from her step-family and they just want to go to the ball at the palace and it’s all interesting and captivating and then the end gets GOOD!  And okay, I wish one thing had happened before the book with a not-too-cliff-hangery cliff-hanger but the rest of it is all there so I’m okay with it.  I’m also hoping it will happen in the next book and I don’t have to wait until the end of the series for it because that always sucks. 

**Source: Review copy

Breaking Point - Kristen Simmons

Breaking Point (Article 5)
by Kristen Simmons

I know logically if you are going to review the second book in a series it is done after you have in fact reviewed the first book but we’re throwing logic out the window today.  What can I say…I’m a rebel like that.  I read Breaking Point immediately after finishing Article 5 and my thoughts and feelings were similar for both books but here is my review for Breaking Point.

This book was good…and also a little annoying.  It’s about a girl named Ember who is on the run from the awful law enforcement that have taken over after a war.  She unfortunately had the bad luck of being born out of wedlock and is therefore breaking one of the laws: Article 5.

Ember, I want you to be strong and independent and I see hints of it but sometimes you can be so stupid.  Sometimes something is so obvious and you don’t realize the truth and I feel like you are being stupid just for the shock factor of finding it out later and gaaa that’s annoying.  Also, I’m sick of you feeling a cold trickle down your back or just feeling cold when something bad happens.  I mean I get it, I like the use, but when it happens every time it gets a bit old.

But here’s the thing.  I know I had similar issues with the writing of Article 5 but I don’t remember the specifics (well except one…) Why? Because I was so captivated by the story that I instantly rushed into this book without writing anything down. The story is just that good. 

I mean I could see all of this, the war, the reformation, the horrors of their reality.  It was eerily believable. So when something about the writing pulled me out of the story it was almost a relief.  It was like the book was reminding me “oh hey, it’s 9:00 and you forgot to eat dinner.  Maybe you should do that, the book will still be there when you’re done cooking and you can read it while you eat.  Just…be careful not to splatter on the pages kay!”  Sure thing book, thanks for the reminder…I forgot I wasn’t actually a starving runaway convict. 

**Source: I bought this with my own sweet loot!

Changes

Well I have been pretty much MIA for quite some time now.  I've had a lot going on recently...getting ready to move and I start a new job next week.  Yay!  But what it really comes down to is that I have been reading and not really feeling like reviewing.  I bought a giant box of books and have been working my way through them page by page but when I finish one I just want to start a new one and not worry about anything else.  My laziness has finally caught up with me...

Anyway, my mood has finally changed and I have been itching to talk about some books so there will be a review tomorrow.  Today I will leave you with a bittersweet picture, all the beautiful flowers I received yesterday from my coworkers on my last day with the company.  *Sigh* I miss those guys already.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Go Niners?

Don't judge me but I hate football.  Okay you can judge me a little...go on...you know you want to...

But I won't let that stop me from getting in the spirit (I mean it is "our team" playing and I am going to a Super Bowl party with the husband, I may as well have fun with it).

So I made brownies.

Saturday Snapshot

So...January 31 turned out to be one of the scariest days of my life. 

That is my house

It was 10:45 and I was about to go to bed when I heard my neighbors making a ton of noise and then come banging on my door screaming "get out get out there is a fire."  I live in a condo with a tiny backyard and on the other side of our fence is a barn/shed/pool house thing that was apparently engulfed in flames.  I wanted to rip pictures off the walls but my neighbor was screaming so I just ran out the door my husband was working so I was alone and then I realized how bad it was when I realized how much smoke was in the air and ran back and grabbed my cat.  Freaking out that I had no where to keep her and worried she would run away I ran back inside and got my car keys and threw her in there and called my husband and realized I didn't know if anyone had tried to put it out so I (like an idiot) ran back inside carrying my fire extinguisher from the garage and my back door was glowing.  And yet (again like an idiot) I threw open the curtains and opened the glass door to realize the entire barn/shed/pool house thing was on fire and I ran...and hyperventilated...and ran.

What used to be a fence and a pool house.

I drove my car down the street to park out of the way.  Luckily I had flip flops in the car because I was barefoot and I had my phone in my pocket.  So I called...my mommy of course.  And that's when I lost all my composure because I thought my house was gone.  The fire trucks weren't there yet but all the neighbors were out safe and I heard a crash and the fire exploded and I was certain the tree in our yard had caught and we were about to lose all our possessions. 

Soap left from the fire hose, on the left is my fence on the right is the burned one.

And then our amazing small town volunteer firefighters (of which our neighbor is one) arrived and saved our houses.  They ran hoses through our houses and put out the fire.  They got there so fast.  A few more minutes and it would have hit our homes.  The home attached to mine has a window that shattered from the heat and the paint on the back of our building is all bubbled (which I'm told happens when it is close to bursting into flames) and I just can't believe how lucky we were.  Everyone is safe.

I am so incredibly grateful to all the firefighters.  Thank you so much.  I think I am still a bit in shock over the whole thing but I know how lucky we all were.  My neighbor firefighter spent most of the time we were freaking out staying calm and using my garden hose to keep our homes wet and cool and he may have saved our homes.  

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce from At Home with Books.

Photos can be old or new as long as they aren't random photos you found online.