Started Reading: March 4, 2008
Finished Reading: March 5, 2008

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).

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I know I shouldn’t be reading right now but I managed to get my hands on a copy of Requiem for the Devil by Jeri Smith-Ready and with just a few pages, I don’t want to stop yet. I have Math, Botany, English essays, and a paper to finish while I take the time reading books. Temptation. BAH.

I started reading Einstein’s Dreams yesterday (which I borrowed from a friend months ago. It was sadly lying down on my pile of books ignored until yesterday morning) though I’m most likely going to delay reading that to finish Requiem for the Devil. I really should have know better than to start reading something during a week I expect would be busy. I should finish most of my homework soon after dinner if I want to keep functioning properly.

I also plan on rereading Daughter of the Forest after those two books. I’ve been browsing the web yesterday for books that seems interesting to read but nothing really managed to get my interest (until tonight — which is an unfortunate case for me).

And yesterday, I managed to borrow a book with letters/essays/critique written in the 18th and 19th century. I don’t know what I was thinking when I created a Viscount as a character for my stories so now I’m determined to write more similarly to the 19th-century way of writing.

MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT I SHOULD STUDY.

Started/Finished Reading: March 2, 2008

The story is not as gripping as other books I’ve read before but what I appreciate most in this novel is that the plot is no fairy tale. It does not delude the readers about one-true-loves. In fact, it illustrates two different kinds of love: the passionate and the long-lasting, comfortable sort.

Adam, faced with a ruined estate and debts left by his father, the late Viscount, sacrifices his love for Julia in order to marry the heiress Jenny. Jenny, though rich, is plain and practical and is no beauty. Even Adam, though with his merits, is not the handsomest man that walked upon the earth. There had to be something other than attraction to make their relationship work because even though Jenny loved Adam, it was one-sided. He came to treasure her as someone whom he learned to trust and depend on and not as the woman he wished he could have made his wife. I think that it is this unusual circumstance — a marriage of convenience that did not grow mutual passion between the hero and heroine — is what kept me interested in the story.

I like the way the book ends. The relationship between Jenny and Adam has developed and changed greatly, though it seems it will never be lust-filled like other historical romances I’ve read. This is reality. Adam is no Prince-upon-a-white-horse and Jenny is no beautiful damsel. Their relationship is not perfect, their marriage not the most ideal either, but it works out because everyone knows that we can’t have everything we want and in reality, we have to make do with what we have.

I read this last month (one of the few I actually read) and I really did love it. It tugged on my heartstrings. Kleypas writes Liberty’s life so well that even I could feel hurt or sad or happy for her.

I could feel the tension between her and Hardy and I understand how he changed and influenced her. I admire Liberty for all the sacrifice she’s done for her sister that of course, I was rooting for a happy ending for her. I like Gage. Even if he’s not my favorite “hero” of all time, I could not help but like him as he tried to help Liberty and her sister (he and Liberty’s sister were pretty cute together).

I’m pleased with how things were resolved in the end although I do think that a bit of it was too hurried. Then again, it might have been good not to add any more drama.

Started Reading: January 24, 2008
Finished Reading: January 24, 2008

OK. This book is great. The plot is great. The ugly, mushroom-skinned, vampire-smelling vampires were quite unique since they seemed so foul. This book had that kind of potential - you see it, you try it and you just know it is better than good and it raises your expectations because you believe it’ll give you something better but still something about it doesn’t quite reach your expectations.

I understand this is Rae’s story so it naturally mostly focuses on her rather than the complex Constantine (whom I am dying to know. What I wouldn’t give to read something in his POV!) so I readied myself for that and have no complaints in that department (except for some wishful thinking regarding POV’s). I liked her character, too, because she had weaknesses, she cried (I’m tired of heroines who were a tad too strong that they don’t shed a tear) and knew she wasn’t really that brave, she evades people, does not open herself up much, and she wakes up early. She is strong, too, because she tries to overcome her trauma, feels compassion for a vampire, stabs a vampire, etc. etc. So Rae is really a wonderful woman.

And Constantine — I just wish I knew more about him. But I suppose that’s his story to tell…hopefully at some future time.

What I didn’t really like about the book is that it was just too wordy. Like the author’s over-informing the reader. Between how one scene started and how one scene continues, there are too many flashbacks and opinions between that aren’t all that important or could have been more brief. I found it too annoying. Otherwise, I would have really loved this more than I already do.

Nevertheless, this was a very good book. The open-ended ending fit, leaving it open to (hopefully) a sequel or two.