Control, by Lydia Kang

Control, in Hardcover

Read February 4-February 18

First let me pause to take a breath. Except for the first chapter or two, I read this book in one sitting, and I'm still a little breathless because it was such a wild, fast-paced ride.

I read Control as part of an online read-along with my favorite booktubers. Normally I probably wouldn't have picked this book up. The blurb sounds interesting, but I'm usually more drawn to fantasy than science, and this is definitely a science fiction. However I would have been at a loss, and I'm really glad I read it.

The world building was fairly simple, but it didn't really need a whole lot.  There was plenty of futuristic technobabble to create the atmosphere, and just enough explanation of the world was given to make sense of how the world had changed. And most, if not all, of the tech and geography changes felt like a logical destination tow here our current world is headed.

Most of the characters felt barely fleshed out, however, and a lot of things suffered because of the super fast pace. But for it's faults, and it's weirdness, it was a good, easy book to read, and the world needs easy books to read just as much as it needs hard books to read.

Rating: Keeper

Have you read Control? If you have, tell me what you though! If you haven't, tell me about the last science fiction you read, I would love to hear about new books!

Thanks for reading!

The Little Lady Agency, by Hester Browne

The Little Lady Agency, in Hardcover

Read February 12-February 17

I read chicklit very infrequently. I have enjoyed Sophie Kinselle books in the past, but for the most part chicklit doesn't interest me enough to entice me to pick one up. However, I promised my mom I would read her one of her favorite books, because she's read a lot of books on my recommendation and I felt I should reciprocate.

The Little Lady Agency is a fun romp through British social life, and the life of naive and funny Melissa, and I did enjoy it, despite myself. It's funny, and cute, and I can't help but feel a bit similar to Melissa, in more ways than one.

Some of the middle of the book was hard to get through because when Mom was reading it a while back she spoiled the whole series for me. So a certain large part of the book that was dedicated to one relationship that I know won't last felt like it dragged a bit. It was a little disappointing that I couldn't just enjoy it, but what can I do? This is why I don't like spoilers of any kind.

The end of the book was fantastic and had me giggling and making me look crazy to my co-workers, although at this point they are kind of use to behavior like this. Revelations were made, just deserts were passed out, and it ended on a happy, uplifting note. Just the kind of ending I love.

Rating: Keeper, though I would have to be in the right kind of mood to read something like it again. And unfortunately I have to mail it back to my mom. Sad face.

Have you read The Little Lady Agency? Tell me what you thought in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Playing Catch Up

I'll be honest, the review for The Darkest Minds, which I read last month, has been sitting as a draft since I finished the book. I read an article on how to write book reviews and it was all analytic stuff so my brain froze and I couldn't get anything written down.

Because I can't do anything analytical. That's not how I read, so unless there was something big, by the time I'm don reading and ready to write a review I struggle to find things to say. Other than gushing and fan-girling, of course. I'm sure if I tried paying more attention while I read and tried to be more analytical I would be able to write those kinds of reviews, but honestly, that's not why I read. I read to enjoy a good story, to lose myself in a new world completely different than our own. And that's not why I write reviews. I review the books I read so that hopefully I can convince someone to read it as well, or convince someone to never touch it.

So I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not. I'm going to continue posting book reviews that are gushy and fan-girly and enthusiastic. Because that's who I am, and that's how I read.

Here are some quick and dirty reviews of the other books I Read last month, to catch up a little before jumping into the reviews for February.

The Darkest Minds, by Alexandra Bracken - It was an exhausting read, but so worth it in the end. And I have a new book boyfriend and his name is Liam Stewart.

In Time, by Alexandra Bracken - (short story) As a short story in between books one and two of The Darkest Minds trilogy, it was perfect and amazing and totally and completely heartbreaking. Ouch.

Never Fade, by Alexandra Bracken - So much action, almost everyone's back together again, and the plot thickens! So amazing! And just as good as the first one!

Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh - Hilarious, totally true, and kind of like me.

A Local Habitation, by Seanan McGuire - It took me forever to get into this one, but it was a good enough urban fantasy. Glad I finally made it through it, though.

An Artificial Night, by Seanan McGuire - Better than A Local Habitation, but also really abnormal, compared to other urban fantasy. Interesting, and raises some interesting questions to be answered in later books.

Opal, by Jennifer L. Armentrout - This series just keeps getting better and better. These books are so addicting and hard to put down. Can't wait to read the next one!

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore - A really good fantasy with a strong female character, although there were not so subtle feminist threads to the story that kind of detracted from everything. But it was still a good romp and a fun read.

So now that I'm all caught up, I will return to my regular posting of book reviews when I finish reading books.

I hope you enjoy my bookish enthusiasm.

Thanks for reading!

The Misfortune Cookie, by Laura Resnick

The Misfortune Cooking, in paperback

Read January 12 to January 16.

This is the sixth book in a fluffy urban fantasy series that I really love. The series is about a woman, Esther Diamond, who is a struggling actress in New York City who, because of her circumstances, gets mixed up in a bunch of magical mysteries that she solves with the help of a 300 plus year old wizard, a very skeptical police detective, and a wide and varied cast, depending on the book. I read the first book at the beginning of 2013, then marathoned through books two through five in October, and pre-ordered the six, this one. It took me a while to get to this book, mostly because I got in to a YA mood and read a lot of YA books instead of my normal diet of urban fantasy.

I won't say much about what happens in the book, because as the sixth in a series, a lot that happens relates to previous books, and unless you've read all the books up to this point it won't make sense. So I'm just going to talk around those types of things in this review.

First off, it was a good book. Maybe not quite as good as the earlier books, but better than book two -- which I was stuck on for months and months -- and better than some other books I've read. As it's been since October since I last read anything in this series, and I read them all together at that, I had forgotten how weirdly slow the books could be by way of solving the mystery. It's not like a hard to read or get through type of slow, because the whole book is tense and full of a lot of 'action' and suspense, and there is never a dull moment when Esther is involved. It's more like it always takes Esther and cohorts a long time to get all the clues together and finally put it all together to solve the problem. And usually it takes more than a couple of bodies.

This isn't really a bad thing, because I love reading about Esther's life and everything she goes through as a starving actress. But in this one it was just a tad tedious, but not for this reason specifically.

There is a very intense and sizzling sort of romance between Esther and the police detective, Connor Lopez. They both have a thing for the other, but Connor tends to get in the way when Esther is investigating, and Connor thinks Esther is crazy for believing in magic and the like, so even after six books they aren't 'together'. And something happened at the end of book five that was supposed to resolve all that tension and finally put them together, but between book five and six Connor did a stupid, very man-like thing, and throughout most of The Misfortune Cookie Esther was throwing a hissy fit and whining about it. And this was what got on my nerves.

Esther is a very self-reliant, awesome woman, and she's usually pretty clear headed. So her whining in book six just seemed out of character, and I really didn't like it. It was such a relief when they finally talked it out a hundred pages from the end, and I hope we don't have to go through this again in future books. Because heavens, woman, get a grip.

Other than that, it was a great book, and a great addition to the series. Now I just have to wait a year for the next book. *sob*

Rating: Keeper

Have you read a book or series where one or more characters acted out of character? Or maybe did something in character that just annoyed you? Tell me about it in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

The Master's Sun or How to do a Drama Right

Picture found at DarkSmurfSub.com

I just finished one of the most well done dramas I have ever seen. Considering I watched it immediately after watching one of the worst dramas ever, this is pretty fantastic, and revived my faith in the greatness of Korean dramas.

The drama is called The Master's Sun (주군의 태양) and is one of the great ones. It aired at the same time that Two Weeks did in the fall, but while I made the decision to watch Two Weeks at the time, I almost wish I had watched this one instead. Of course, it turned out better this way, because I got to watch it with subtitles, which is much better in my opinion because then I can understand everything, instead of just half of the things.

First, a description. The Master's Sun is about a woman named Tae Gongshil (태공실) who can see ghosts, and has been living a life hiding from the scary ghosts as best she can. Then she meets the owner of a large mall, named Joo Joongwon (주중원). And after accidentally touching him, she realizes that he makes the scary ghosts disappear. So, in order to try to escape the scary ghosts, she clings to him and does everything she can to get into his life so that she can use him when she is scared. A lot of hilarious things happen along the way, and in the end they fall in love and end up happily ever after.

The first thing I want to say is the pacing of this drama was spot on. Remember how I talked about how poorly done the pacing was in Nail Shop Paris? This was most definitely not the case with The Master's Sun. Everything that was revealed came out naturally and at the proper beat along the story-line. And I was paying attention to that because that's one of the things I'm trying to work on in my own storytelling right now.

Next, the characters. There was a large cast of characters with a fairly tangled web of relationships. Not nearly as many as The Heirs, but still. It was interesting to see how everyone was related and how everyone had a part to play. Now, I loved almost every single character. There was the one bad girl who was the ultimate villain in the story who I didn't like, but she made a good villain and a good counter point for the main character that it was okay. However, other than her, I loved every single other character, which doesn't happen very often. Every character had a weakness and a secret, they weren't all perfect, and they all made mistakes. But they all did the best they could with what they had, and everyone -- except the bad girl who ended up in jail -- had a happy ending. I have never seen a drama end with this many couples before.

And the two main characters, oh be still my heart. There was actual, visible character development, and it was so wonderful to watch these two progress and become better people because of meeting each other. Because that's what love is supposed to do. And that's what I love to see. It happens quite often in K-dramas; the girl meets a guy who isn't very nice or looks down on her, etc., and through her love and the thing that happen he becomes a better person. But I've never seen any drama that has really taken it to the level that this drama was.

Because sometimes the characters change in unrealistic ways, or they don't change very visibly. But Joo Joongwon changed a lot because of the girl, and he changed in a way that fit his character and seemed natural. And then there was Tae Gongshil, who also changed. And I loved seeing how she went from being a scared, lonely woman who never did anything to a bright, happy woman who was willing to go after the man she wanted. It was beautiful transformation, and one of my favorite kinds.

One of my favorite thing to do nowadays when I watch K-Dramas is to play 'can you spot the K-drama trope' and this one was a gold mine. There was just about everything from the protective mother figure who doesn't like the main girl, someone ending up in the hospital, someone getting amnesia, a funny scene involving a bathroom, to the nasty rich woman who tries to steal about the main guy. It was great.

A lot of people in my circle of friends dislike K-Dramas with a passion. From my questioning and investigation, the only reason I can come up for this dislike is they are all desensitized to violence and sex, cynical about life, and used to American TV shows. For me, however, The Master's Sun reminded me of all the reasons I love K-dramas.

I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves K-Dramas, however I'll also put up a warning: This drama is not for the faint of heart. Seriously, a lot of the ghosts are cringe-worthy and I found myself jumping in my seat just as much as the main girl. A lot of times in the beginning, the filming style was like a horror. So if you don't like scary things, I wouldn't recommend watching it.

Except I really would, because the ending is totally worth it.

This drama made me laugh more times than I can count, cry more than I have in a while, and cheer louder than I should have at 1AM. It was definitely worth the time I spent watching it, and chances are I will be watching it again.

So, dear readers, do you have a favorite drama that you go back to over and over again? Even when you know you should be watching something new? Tell me about it in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Onyx, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Onyx in paperback

Read January 10 to January 11

Again, I said I was reading one thing, The Dream Thieves, but I ended up reading something else. I'm maybe seeing a trend here.

Onyx is the sequel to Obsidian, and in terms of sequels, it knocked my socks off. The two books I gave up on to read these two were both sequels, and didn't have quiet the impact as sequels as Onyx did. Because this book took everything the author had built up in book one and cranked it up to eleven. The romance was better, the main character was better, even the plot conflict, while built on what had happened before, was better. Jennifer L. Armentrout really knows how to put her characters through the ringer, then force them to live and work through the consequences to their actions.

And one of the biggest things I loved about this book? There was a theme under it all about choice, and how everyone has choice and has to live with the consequences of their choice. Which is one of my favorite things to see, because it doesn't show up very often. And it is an important thing to learn, especially nowadays.

A down point, however, was the fact that the bad guy for this book was the Department of Defense. Now, I can understand having a secret government agency as a big baddie, but using the DoD as a blanket term for a government agency strikes me as ignorant. Because the DoD covers a lot of different groups. The US Military being one of them. It felt like every time the DoD was mentioned, I -- as a member of the US Military -- was being lumped in with the black-suit-bad-guys from the government. And that rankled me just a little bit.

Not enough to turn me off from reading this book, though, because the chemistry between Katy and Daemon is as hot as the surface of the sun, and I can't wait to read the next book. Just as soon as it arrives in the mail.

Rating: Keeper

Have you read any sequels that were better than the first book? Tell me about them in the comments!

Thanks for reading!