Five Hundred Kingdoms: Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey

Cover Design: 2/5

Plot: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Overall Rating: B+

Obtained: Library Book 

Heavy is the head—and the eyelids—of the princess who wears the crown…

In Rosamund's realm, happiness hinges on a few simple beliefs:

For every princess there's a prince.

The king has ultimate power.

Stepmothers should never be trusted.

And bad things come to those who break with Tradition….

But when Rosa is pursued by a murderous huntsman and then captured by dwarves, her beliefs go up in smoke. Determined to escape and save her kingdom from imminent invasion, she agrees to become the guinea pig in one of her stepmother's risky incantations—thus falling into a deep, deep sleep.

When awakened by a touchy-feely stranger, Rosa must choose between Tradition and her future…between a host of eligible princes and a handsome, fair-haired outsider. And learn the difference between being a princess and ruling as a queen.

The moral of the story? Sometimes a princess has to create her own happy endings….

---

I'm such a visual person and yes I do judge books by their covers. To start out with, the cover did nothing for me. First off, the woman on the front doesn't even match the description of Rosa. The graphic designer just threw a composite images together and didn't give much thought to it. When some covers are so striking, this one just makes you kind of overlook the book. Don't fall for it! It's a trap. 

Sleeping Beauty is a witty romp in a fairy tale world. I've read a couple of Five Hundred Kingdoms but this one has to be the funniest one that I've read. Lackey has created a very tongue in check novel ala Shrek. What really makes the book are the characters. The plot looks like it's going to be very generic (and some of it is) but it goes off into these paths that makes the reader raise an eyebrow with surprise. What really makes the novel are the characters and not just the main characters either. The secondary characters are wonderful! Like a gambling charming prince/best friend, a witty bird, a sarcastic but helpful mirror and a unicorn with a lisp. Pick this up, it's such a charming and funny read. 

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Cover Design: 5/5

Plot: 2.5/5

Characters: 2/5

Overall Rating: C

Obtained: Free Download from Barnes and Nobles.com

Two Hearts. One Hope.

Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her---a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny. (www.goodreads.com)

This book has been on my 'To Read' list for quite a while. I just happened to come across a list of free Christian books avalible on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that it was listed as a Christian book. I thought it was an Ella Enchanted like book, another retelling of a fairy tale that personally I love. Now before I continue this review, I will tell you that I am Christian and occasionally I will read Christian novels, so personal bias really isn't there.

I really wanted to love this novel. Rose seemed so interesting in the beginning, but she had no real flaws. In the beginning, Rose was very unsure of being a healer and then towards the end she was a bit whiny about it. There was a little bit of mental discussion over being proper when she was approached by the younger brother. I think even that could have been taken deeper. I wish she had been a bit deeper and not quite so silly as she was in the middle and later parts of the book. Rupert, the younger brother, could have been a bit more dasterly, I think the writer really missed a good opportunity to give us a character that we would love to see him get his comeupance rather then just a punch in the jaw by Lord Hamlin.

The plot lagged a bit and Dickerson gave away far too much of the plot! Don't let your readers see all of your hand right in the middle of the book! That being said there were some interesting things you don't see all the time in young adult novels. Purity, Honor and Sacrifice. Rose and Lord Hamlin went through trials to strenghten their resolve, both towards God and each other.

There is a lot of detail that has been given. Dickerson is really good at describing things like mannerisms, dress, and locations.

The cover is beautiful, well designed and eye catching. The font used for Healer's in the title and the red just really makes it pop.

A fairy tale Christian novel is very radical! I would like to see what Zondervan has up it's sleeve. I believe that Melanie Dickerson has a good talent when it comes to writing and this was really good for a first novel.

Naked Heat by Richard Castle

Series: Book 2 of Nikki Heat Series

Cover Design: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5

Overall Rating: C
Obtained: Overdrive Library Book

Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are together again in Richard Castle's thrilling follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, Heat Wave.

When New York's most vicious gossip columnist, Cassidy Towne, is found dead, Heat uncovers a gallery of high profile suspects, all with compelling motives for killing the most feared muckraker in Manhattan.

Heat's murder investigation is complicated by her surprise reunion with superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook. In the wake of their recent breakup, Nikki would rather not deal with their raw emotional baggage. But the handsome, wise-cracking Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's personal involvement in the case forces her to team up with Rook anyway. The residue of their unresolved romantic conflict and crackling sexual tension fills the air as Heat and Rook embark on a search for a killer among celebrities and mobsters, singers and hookers, pro athletes and shamed politicians. (Amazon.com)

A new year, a new list of books, plus a brand spanking new e-reader from the family. What can I say?

So I've been going back and forth between a Nook and a Kindle for awhile. Finally my sister decided she was getting a Nook so that we could share books together, I got a Nook. Anyway, so with the Nook I finally got to use our brand new Overdrive library that the local branches of the library has subscribed to. I guess it works that way, I'm not really sure. No matter. In the grand scheme of things it means free e-books! (for two weeks)

The first novel I read was The Scorch Trials by James Dashner but since this blog is starting off with a new year, I won't bother reviewing that. In case you want to know, I'd give it a 3/5 (it was okay if only to lead you to the third book)

Well back to Naked Heat by Richard Castle.

This is the second book that I have read by “Richard Castle”. In case you are unaware, Richard Castle is the name of the main character in the ABC Television show 'Castle'. He is played by Nathan Fallion who played Captain Malcom Reynolds from the show Firefly. In the show, Rick Castle follows about Detective Kate Beckett and pretty much helps solves cases while annoying her at the same time.

When someone would ask me what I was reading, I would always start out, “You know that show Castle? It's the second book in that series.” I would never say “Naked Heat” because that sounds like a bodice ripper, don't you think? You know one of those trashy novels where the couple is always in the state of some undress, usually the girl mostly.

In Naked Heat, as in Heat Wave (the first in the series) the same plot is presented with slight differences i.e. Jameson Rook, a magazine writer, follows around Nikki Heat, a dective of the NYPD. The whole Rook thing makes me laugh. Rook. Castle. Chess. Pretty much the same story. They are the same characters as Beckett and Castle except Heat and Rook actually have a relationship instead of pinning from afar like the television characters.

The plot could have easily come from the television show except for having more characters and plot twists. It took me a while to get through this book, I had trouble really getting into the book. Mysteries usually take a while for me to get though because I try to figure out 'Who dun it' before the main characters do. The actual killer was a little bit unexpected, not the mind blowing 'I would never have guessed but instead 'emm interesting'' Don't worry I won't give it away.


The cover design, I feel is rather uninspired. I realize they are trying to keep with the same look as the silhouette of the first one. Murder being spelled backwards is a bit annoying but at the same time, I like the look of the typewriter keys. The whole typewriter bit does tie in really well in the book.

Overall, the book is rather blah but I love the whole premise behind the book and how 'Richard Castle' has published the novel talked about in the show. I will most likely continue to read the Nikki Heat series. Call it a guilty pleasure. Like Bodice rippers.

And so it begins *Bahahaha* <--- Mine is an evil laugh

So it's a new year and I'm doing something I've been meaning to do for a while, start a blog. Okay, honestly I've attempted it twice and haven't gotten really farther then the second posting, but we'll see how it goes. Mostly this is going to be about books I've read, stuff I find, and maybe just maybe pictures I take.

So here I am

Name: Tabitha
Age: Twenty something... we'll leave it at that...
Location: Central Virginia
Employment: Graphic Design, 3D animation and photography teachr
Likes: coffee with creamer, a good book, most carbs, any new gadget that comes out, antiquing
Dislikes: shoe shopping
Collects: 19th century photography
Addicted to: Photoshop oh and my Nook!

Even though I'm twenty something, I worked as a librarian assistant in a high school library so you'll see me read a lot of young adult books. I try to tell myself it's because there weren't so many good young adult books when I was a teenager, truth be told as a teenager, I was into the bodice rippers. wiggles eyebrows. Bet you were too.

So about this blog...

Do I always read new and upcoming stuff:

I try to but I have a ton of books on my to read pile

Will it always be YA?

Nope, I read all kinds of fiction, a little bit of nonfiction to

Will I be truthful in my reviews?
Yup, if I hate it, I'll let you know why. Of course, let's face it, sometimes you aren't quite sure why you hate a book, you just do.

Will I post all the time?
Haha, no.