This is quite good, though not exactly my favorite among Urban Fantasy novels. Cat…I don’t hate her but I don’t exactly love her yet. Though I do like the way she developed as a character: from someone who had a drilled-in prejudice against vampires into someone who managed to see that not all of them were evil. Then there’s her being a half, which could be limited to just what she was in this book or more, if there will be. As for Bones, I like him. He’s level-headed and he’s got sense. He was good for keeping Cat’s impulsiveness in-check.

I can’t really feel the whole Bones/Cat thing, though I hope to see that developed in the next novel. I’m still willing to read the next is the series but it’s just not part of my immediate must-reads.

Started Reading: April 10, 2008
Finished Reading: April 13, 2008

This is my first time reading Atwood and I generally liked it. Though I’m not a big fan of mystery and murder, the whole 19th-century setting drew me in. And it is an interesting story and quite different from the usual novels I read. The only set-back for me is the fact that there was no definite answer for everything. I myself have my own speculations but when it comes down to it, the verdict for Grace Marks’ innocence is subjective. I’m the kind of person who appreciates a clear “yes” or “no” and grew up not liking the whole “I don’t know” option.

I liked most of the characters, which was good since I truly wanted to know what happened before and after, since they’re mostly linked together. Only I didn’t like Dr. Jordan. I just hated his character. But I could tolerate him since he was a source of amusement for Grace.

** SPOILERS **

I wonder how Grace regarded Dr. Jordan though. She put too much credit to his character — far more than he deserved. I could not believed she had faith that the doctor still sent that letter. I’m convinced that she likes him, though not exactly in the romantic sense, to have some trust in him.

My favorite character must be Jeremiah the peddler. I believe Grace would have been happier with him since he seemed to have such a fun, loyal character. He had been with Grace from the start and even went as far as to fight for her freedom (the way he did it really was amusing!). The time when he hypnotized her — I don’t think it was Grace speaking there. I’ve formed a theory that it was someone else (the Mrs. Something that owned the house) that must have been “throwing her voice” to make it seem like it was Mary Whitney speaking while Grace sleeps throughout the ordeal.

I’m a Grace/Jeremiah shipper, which is basically why I did not enjoy the ending.

Jamie — I do not like him much, though I do like him more than I do Dr. Jordan. Still. I think he is a foolish boy despite the years that have passed, though I appreciated the fact that he still wanted to marry Grace, since that must have helped her as she went back to being “free”. Though, for the series, there never truly was freedom for Grace Marks.

I liked the book, overall, despite some questions unanswered.

Started Reading: March 15, 2008
Finished Reading: March 15, 2008

Definitely not one of Julia Quinn’s best novels. I didn’t really like this. A bit of a waste of time. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t got some of the details right with the timeline — a fact that annoyed me. And — SPOILER — when Miranda lost her baby, I was expecting a more sensitive approach to that. And if her reaction (or lack thereof) was uncomfortably unusual, Turner didn’t pay attention to that little detail either. He just went on with his anger/persuasion. Gah. I expected Miranda to be more level-headed too, and in many cases she wasn’t. This book wasn’t just worth my time.

Started Reading: March 11, 2008
Finished Reading: March 12, 2008

I loved nearly all the characters in this book. : D Elena, Clay, and Jeremy especially. And the plot was evenly paced — not too slow and not too fast. I haven’t read the first book, Bitten, but I might just to read more on the relationship between Elena and Clay (I LOVE THEM BOTH).

Started Reading: January 30, 2008
Finished Reading: March 9, 2008

This is probably one of the better fairy-tale retelling I’ve read (I remember reading one retelling of A Little Mermaid and the story was so awful — I can’t, for my life, remember the title or the author). It took me a long time to finish this because the first part was a bit dragging for me so I stopped, and read other books, until I read it again today. The best parts were when the Beast was finally in the picture — though I wish there were more about him to read. I felt the same with Sunshine, where I wanted to learn Constantine’s POV because he had become such an interesting character. The same with the Beast.

Although the characters in Beauty are more fleshed-out, seeming to be more three-dimensional than two, the story or plot itself didn’t veer away from the original fairy tale. The ending was too hurried for my tastes, with everyone just coming to the castle and everything resolving on its own. Nevertheless, as a whole, this book was very nice. Probably not something I’d reread, but it was a simple enough story that I enjoyed.

Started Reading: March 8, 2008
Finished Reading: March 8, 2008

The cliffhanger ending. D: I want to read the next book now.  The book has a very interesting plot, and it brings  cross-dressing-during-a-medieval-like-era into a new perspective. I really like Tobin, as well as the other characters like Ki and Brother (they have such a love/hate relationship that I wonder what would happen if they separate) and Tharim, etc. I wonder how things will work out for Tobin to rule since it would conflict with the role he wants to live and the beliefs he upholds.

I didn’t find the story/characters creepy at all. They seem to possess the same darkness  as V.C. Andrews‘ novels, only in a more fantasy setting.

Started Reading: March 7, 2008
Finished Reading: March 8, 2008

I had an hour yesterday to go to Gateway and back to ADMU to look for books. I managed to find only If You Could See Me Now from the books I wanted to buy. Not that I had money for everything, mind, but Cecelia Ahern isn’t exactly at the top of my list. There were a few other books I’d rather buy. Heh. But I ended up buying this anyway, even if I wanted to buy my own copy of Flowers in the Attic as well. Only it was pricier. Woe.

This book was a very nice read. It wasn’t that exceptional, but it mixed happiness, a bit of fantasy, some sadness, and a lot of hope in If You Could See Me Now. It made me wish that “imaginary people” really did exist — and for a few seconds think that probably the actually do. It’s not as good as the other books I’ve read, but it was lovely enough. Ivan was a fun character and I was more interested in his conflicts than in Elizabeth’s. Even if he seemed as old as she is (visually), he was just like a simple-minded child who was faced with the hard facts of reality in the end.

FINISHED. Now I can function properly, study for a math test tomorrow, write a conclusion for my paper, and sleep (hopefully) earlier. Loving Requiem for the Devil was like loving chocolate. It was impossible not to love. The book reminded me of Vamped — not because it was about vampires but because it gave me a very refreshing perspective that I didn’t really expect. Only better.

I’m Catholic but I never really gave much thought about Lucifer being Lucifer, the fallen angel, instead of Lucifer being Satan, the Prince of Darkness and snake plus countless of other evils he is identified him. Basically, in Requiem for the Devil, Lucifer is just Lucifer, Darkness Almighty, disguised as a human and plotting slash spawning evil on earth. But this Lucifer also does the unexpected. He falls in love. And that singular fact makes this novel far too hard to put down (i.e. I couldn’t concentrate on math so I had to finish this first before I tried to study).

There are some quotes that I particularly loved:

“Don’t look at me. Look at yourself, because in the end, that’s all you have, and you have to accept everything that you are, the beautiful and the ugly, the noble and the depraved. If you don’t face your sins, they will consume you as they have consumed me.”

“A spontaneous proposition deserves a spontaneous response.”

“Sure,” I said. “Conflict begets growth.”
“No, conflict begets more conflict. What’s wrong with a little peace?”
“Peace is overrated.”

The book was not for religious enlightenment. However, it made me laugh, made my heart ache, made me feel helpless, made me feel double-unfairness, made me hope for Lucifer. Maybe the book wasn’t perfect — but there was nothing I didn’t love about it.