A Glo-Worm Reads

Canadian book blogger, wife, mom and animal lover. I enjoy curling up with a book, snack and my kitties. 

You can visit my blog at A Glo-Worm Reads.

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Antigoddess - Kendare Blake

Two things made me need to read this series: 1. Greek Mythology, 2. Kendare Blake.  I couldn’t even imagine what kind of story Kendare Blake could have in store for me. After Anna Dressed in Blood, I was ready for something creeptastically awesome. I was not disappointed. I mean, did you read that synopsis? It just screams for me to read more. I like to occasionally read books that are creepy. Athena has feathers growing from the inside out! Sometimes I just wonder how Kendare Blake thinks up these things, but I can honestly say I wouldn’t want to look into her mind out of fear of what else might be in there.

 

The gods are corrupted and dying in all kinds of nasty, unimaginable ways. And to keep themselves alive they are teaming up with each other and some of them are even EATING each other. That is disgusting! While there is a bit of talk of Zeus, we’re not really sure what it going on with him, if he’s even alive.

 

Then there are the reincarnations of memorable characters and heroes from the Greek mythology. Such as Cassandra, who has all kind of visions of the future, but no idea why because she doesn’t remember who she is. She can see the gods dying sometimes and sees some pretty horrible things happen. I’m honestly surprised she doesn’t lose it.

 

When I started reading this book, I just got sucked into Blake’s writing, again. I don’t know how she does it to me, but she does. I am completely looking forward to what happens next because I can’t predict anything with these books. The opposite always seems to happen. Which is good because I’m rarely surprise while reading anymore. If you’re wondering about this series, you should definitely check it out because this book was great. Especially if you like mythology, you don’t want to miss it!

 

A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) - George R.R. Martin

A Storm of Swords is by far the best installment of A Song of Ice and Fire so far. There is so much that happens in the second half of the book that it becomes extremely hard to put down. It is a bit slow in the first half, but that’s only because it is building up for the completely amazing and event filled second half. Again, all I can say about Martin is that he is not afraid to kill anyone. I’m very afraid for the future of my favourite characters. Who are still Ayra, Dany, and Tyrion. How can I not love these characters? Ayra is just an awesome girl who is very determined and not afraid to get her hands dirty. I can’t help but feel bad for her though at times. Dany is the Mother of Dragons and is freeing slaves, how can you hate her for that? And Tyrion is just so sarcastic and amusing. One of the few decent Lannisters. We have been introduce to Jaime as a PoV in this book and its very interesting to see how there is more to him.

 

So once again there is a lot going on. There are a few moments that had me WTFing, even though this was a reread for me. I still was shocked for a few of the scenes and the brutality of them. But I can see the necessity of them. I’m always happy to read about Joffrey’s wedding of course, although some of results of the wedding do make me a bit sad.

 

Overall it’s  a great addition to the series that will keep you reading, break your heart and make you giddy. I wanted to immediately dive into the next book, A Feast of Crows, but since I’m reading these for a read-a-long I had to restrain myself. All I can say is that if you are looking for a great fantasy series, and can get past a few brothels and questionable relationships, this is a series for you. There are characters you can just sit and root for and ones you’ll hate. The books are very unpredictable, for me at least and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Source: http://aglowormreads.com/2013/09/25/review-a-storm-of-swords-by-george-r-r-martin

Inheritance

Inheritance - Malinda Lo

After reading Adaptation I knew I had to continue on with this series by Malinda Lo. I haven’t really read many alien books, so they are still a novelty to me but I think that this series is a great one. The writing style is easy to read and you are given the information you need, maybe not all right away but you get it eventually. I was once again hooked by the book right away and even though it had been awhile since I had read the first book, I picked it right back up. There is a bit of info dumping, but most of it I wanted and ate right up.

 

Inheritance  picks right back up where the first book left off. The world is still freaking out about the reveal that aliens do in fact exist and Reese and David’ lives are in chaos. They are followed by either cameras or special agents, normally both, everywhere. They have people trying to get them to agree to help them and spy on the aliens for them. They are blackmailed and their families threatened. Of course they have no choice but to help everyone and play double agents to keep their families safe. There are constant threats that are made towards them by the general population, which only gets worse when it gets out that Reese is a bisexual and had/has a relationship with Amber, an alien. Making Reese a bigger target than before as a “traitor to humanity”.

 

Basically there is a lot going on in this book. We get to learn a lot more about the Imrians and it’s all pretty neat. They have some dirty secrets of their own that are revealed. I believe this is the final book (only a two book series!) which kind of makes me sad because I want to see the Imrian’s world. I supposed I will have to check out Natural Selection, the novella from Amber’s PoV that has recently been released. Things are wrapped up fairly nicely, after a few incidents, like a kidnapping, and I didn’t really get bored at all while reading.

 

This series is a great YA, sci-fi and I will be checking out some of Lo’s other books because I really enjoyed this series. I love that she put in a bisexual love triangle, it’s really different from the normal love triangles and has a very unique outcome. So if you like aliens and are looking for a new sci fi, check out this series. It’s a nice short series that’s fun to read. Government conspiracies and all.

Source: http://aglowormreads.com/2013/10/03/review-inheritance-by-malinda-lo

Review: The Truth About Forever

The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

So this was my second Sarah Dessen book and can I just say that I’m ashamed I didn’t try any before now. They are just so darn good! The Truth About Forever was just so sweet and cute. I almost didn’t want it to end. Of course it had to and I was very happy with the ending. I just love how Sarah Dessen seems to be able to pull me in and make me feel so much for her characters, especially so quickly. I love that the books seem to go by fast and the next thing I know, I’m done. Most of all, I like how meaningful her books seem to be. They are full of feels both good and bad. They can have me sobbing one moment and laughing the next.

 

The story revolves around Macy, who everyone remember as the girl who watched her dad die. Macy is pretty much living a lie. She needs everything to go a certain way, no surprises. She is a good student, has a good boyfriend, is just the perfect daughter. A real good girl. Then her summer takes an unexpected turn and her plan for it is turned upside down. It was definitely an improvement from what it was, but not everyone, mainly her mom, thinks so. Macy ends up taking a part time job at a catering company after her boyfriend suggests a “break” over email (yeah, email. Ass.) and in turn meets such a different group of people than she’s used to. These people are not perfect and the job is chaotic, but it’s a welcome change for Macy, eventually.

 

I really love how throughout the story, we get to see Macy grow as a person. We get to see her finally grieve for her father and begin to realize that there is more to life than hiding behind being perfect. Things happen that we have no control over you just have to take them in stride. Things can only get better when they’re at their worst. Macy goes through so many changes and it’s just heartwarming to witness.

 

Then we have Wes. He’s a “bad” boy who has been to reform school. However, he has his own history, like everyone does and as Macy learns more about him, she begins to realize how great of a person he is. The two start a friendship and it’s perfect for Macy because it helps her realize a lot about herself.

 

Macy’s mom is present in the story, quite a bit. However she’s a workaholic since her husband’s death. She hasn’t grieved herself and when she notices that Macy is changing, well she doesn’t like it. Her daughter is perfect and going to have a great transcript. She doesn’t want her throwing it all away for people she doesn’t see as worth it. Needless to say, I wasn’t the biggest fan of her mom. I felt bad for her because it was clear she needed help herself, but she wasn’t helping her daughter out any by throwing herself into her work.

 

Overall The Truth About Forever was a very emotional read that I couldn’t get enough of. I’m very much looking forward to reading more by Sarah Dessen, she has won me as a fan.

Source: http://aglowormreads.com/2013/10/09/review-the-truth-about-forever-by-sarah-dessen

Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black

So this was my first experience with reading Holly Black and I had heard a lot of great things about her. Unfortunately it took me a long time to get into this book and I’m not really sure why, I think it might of had to do with how the chapters are laid out. There would be a chapter for Tana in the present, then a flashback for Tana or one of the other characters and then back to the present with Tana. I don’t know, I guess it felt like I would just get into the mindset and reading about Tana and then all of a sudden I’m back in the past, even though something had just happened that I wanted to read more of. I had to read through this flashback to get on with the story and it would possibly even be for a different character. It just took awhile to get used to the changing constantly, which is weird for me because I have no trouble reading books with changing points of view normally (ex. A Song of fire and Ice).

 

As for the story content itself, it was a very interesting take on vampires. It’s an original concept that Holly Black came up with compared to other vampire novels and I did really enjoy learning more about it. It took about 150 pages for me to get hooked and keep reading and stop putting the book down. Once I was hooked though I had to finish it. In this book, if you get bit by a vampire you become infected. You crave blood and become colder and colder until you cave and bite/drink blood. Then you die and come back as a vampire. But, if you really don’t want to be a vampire, as long as you don’t cave and brink human blood, you can fight off the infection. It takes 88 days, but if you can get through that you are fine. Also, being bit by someone infected cannot pass on the infection, it has to be a vampire bite.

 

Now one of the things I liked about Tana, the protagonist is that she doesn’t want to be a vampire, but she gets a tiny scratch by a tooth and isn’t sure if she’s going to go cold or not. So she goes to Coldtown, a quarantined area where the vampires, infected, and vampire wannabees live. She goes because her mom was bit and infected and her father locked her up in the basement and the screams were horrible, so Tana doesn’t want to put her father and sister through that again if she is infected. Besides, that didn’t go so well. So off Tana goes with her infected ex boyfriend and a vampire (a slightly insane vampire) she rescues from other vampires to Coldtown to have themselves locked in. And nobody really ever leaves Coldtown once they are there.

 

Overall it was a great story, but the alternating chapters bothered me. There were also quotes at the beginning of each chapter, if you’re someone who reads them, I generally don’t. I did read a few and they were interesting but I would rather read them before or after I’ve read the book because I find it takes away the illusion by reading something else. I liked the writing and story, but because it took me so long to get into, combined with the alternating chapters, I’ve given it a bit of a lower rating than I normally would have. Still a good and unique vampire novel if that’s what you’re looking for, you should check it out. Also, bonus points for a standalone :)

Source: http://aglowormreads.com/2013/09/21/review-the-coldest-girl-in-coldtown-by-holly-black

Review: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

I have to admit, I watched the movie for this book way before reading it. When the movie first came out I didn't realize that it was based on a book, so I watched it before reading it. Well it's probably a good thing I did because if I had of read this first, I wouldn't have watched the movie. This is one of those rare cases where the movie is actually better than the book for me. Like way better.

For some reason, even though this book is only 183 pages, which would make you think it was fast paced, I found it really slow. I was wondering when anything was going to happen. Another thing that bothered me? I'm not sure how many times this book says "fuck" or some variety of it, but it was way too many times. Wait, scratch that, I looked it up and someone has it counted as 335 f-bombs in the 183 pages that this book is. Yeah, at least almost twice per page. Now I don't exactly have the cleanest mouth out there, but that just seems a bit ridiculous to me.

I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I did finish the book and it was okay. I definitely won't be reading it again and it's not the first book I'd recommend to someone. I might tell them to watch the movie, it at least was censored. Sometime too much swearing is a bad thing. I don't care if the characters are in New York and if that's what it's like, it doesn't make for an enjoyable read. Plus the insta love thing that was going on? Not really that believable for me, especially when the two of them were still obsessing over their ex's, because they were. How can you claim to be falling in love with someone when you can't stop thinking about and comparing them to someone else. Nope, not really insta love for me, more like raging teenage hormones.

If you're interested in this one, I say skip the book and watch the movie.

Source: http://owl-read-it.blogspot.ca/2013/07/review-nick-norahs-infinite-playlist.html
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Holly Black More like 3.5 stars, but I'll explain that when I write the review :)

Penguin Classics Tale Of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens Omg that end :(
Racing Savannah - Miranda Kenneally So awesome!
A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) - George R.R. Martin Still just as good the second time around :)
The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey Review to come
Amity & Sorrow - Peggy Riley I haven’t read many books about any cults or anything like that really. But after reading the description for Amity & Sorrow the 4th or 5th time I got an email from NetGalley (they were having issues that day), I decided that it sounded interesting and grabbed it while I was approved. I’m kind of glad I did. While some of the events were quite horrifying to read about, it really was interesting and kept my attention quite well. I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a nosy person and really like to see how other people live sometimes. So it was interesting to have a look into this cult, since that’s what it was. I’m not sure if I was ever supposed to feel empathy for Sorrow or not, but I just couldn’t. The girl was freaking evil! Her poor sister was always having to put up with things from her, it was horrible. Like she cuts her and leaves her bleeding out in a bathroom, what kind of sister does that? I dunno, even after finding out some gross and sad things about her, I still couldn’t like her at all. In the end I’m glad she’s where she is and that her sister and mother are free of her. I felt bad for their mother too. She had nowhere else to go and got pulled into this crazy situation, I’m glad she ran when she did, even if it was too late for Sorrow.Overall it’s a very interesting story that keeps you wondering what happens next and how everything is going to turn out. I don’t regret reading it at all and actually really enjoyed it. It’s very different from what I usually read.
Great Expectations - Simon Vance, Charles Dickens So I’ve read a few classics in my time and ALL of them, no matter how interesting I find them, cause me to start to doze off only a few pages in. So naturally, they take me a long time to read. So for a change, I decided that I was going to try listening to a classic and see how that went. Well it was much more successful! Not only was I able to get simple tasks done, like cleaning, I also managed to pay attention to the story and found that I really enjoyed it. I think a lot of it might have had to do with the narrator, Frank Muller. For some reason he was able to put the life into the story that I seem to never be able to do whilst reading classics. I think that just because they are classics, they are automatically categorized as boring in my mind. But this one was much different. I laughed at parts and just thoroughly enjoyed the story.I thought Pip was a wonderful character, who had a bit of bad luck, a but of good luck, and then some bad luck again. Pip grows a lot as a character and it’s kind of sad to see what happens in the end, but it’s not a terrible ending, there is a bit of happiness for him in it (although Dickens did write a different ending originally, that didn’t end on such a positive note). The story is a bit long (aren’t most classics) but was still good and entertaining. I can see why this has been categorized as a classic. It’s a very good coming of age story (it is!) and shows that you can never take things for granted and that you should be happy with who/what you are because just because someone else’s life/lifestyle looks better, doesn’t mean it is. That also doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to better yourself, Pip does try, even before becoming a gentleman, but for the most part it just makes him miserable.The next book I’m planning on listening to is A Tale of Two Cities, which is also narrated by Frank Muller. I have to say, I’m actually looking forward to it! So if you’re like me and have trouble with classics, maybe try giving one a listen, you might enjoy it more!
The Testing - Joelle Charbonneau So I had heard a lot of good things about The Testing. A lot of people say that if you like The Hunger Games, to definitely give this one a try. Well am I ever glad I did! I loved The Testing even more than THG. Now I know dystopians are getting old (they really are getting a bit overdone, even for me, the person who read a million of them last year) BUT The Testing was just so good!Cia is a a great character who is obviously smart, since she's been picked to compete in the Testing for one of the 20 available University spots for the year. Cia is extremely excited because all she's ever wanted was a chance to attend the University. However, after her father, who was also in the Testing, tells her that he has no memories of his time in the Testing, just nightmares, she begins to worry. When she arrives for the Testing and her roommate commits suicide shortly after because of the stress, Cia wonders if maybe her father's mind created the nightmares to replace memories of students crumbling under the pressure. Soon enough, she learns the difference. Maybe the Testing is more dangerous than she thought.While Cia is smart, she definitely has her faults, one being that she trusts too easily! She's in a competition here and really shouldn't be trusting anyone, but she does anyways, and more than once she almost comes to regret it. She has a bit of romance with a fellow competitor from her home, Tomas, which might possibly blind her to him. He seems okay for the most part, but I just couldn't trust him.The Testing was a book that I had a hard time putting down. I can't wait for the next book to be released in the series. It's going to be a long wait. I really enjoyed Joelle Charbonneau's writing style, although at times the world building could have been improved a bit, I wasn't sure what had happened to the world for awhile. But, she made up for it with action and a story that kept me sucked in. Overall, it's a great read that I will for sure be recommending, especially if you're a fan of The Hunger Games.
The Evolution of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin Alright, so I loved The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, so I had to continue on with the series. obviously. Well, holy crap! I’m so glad I read this finally. It’s even better than the first book for me. I don’t know how Michelle Hodkin does it, but she just has this way of grabbing me and pulling me into the story. I can’t believe how fast I read this because as far as young adult books go, it’s a long one at almost 550 pages. 550 pages of awesomeness though! It’s even creepier than the first books and half the time I though Mara really was crazy. Who knows, maybe she still is. And I may be getting a little ahead of myself but the ending O-M-G! I pretty much needed the next book right away, unfortunately it’s not out until October (it seems like everything I’m waiting on is in October).Regardless, this is a series that’s amazing. You have no idea what to think while reading about Mara. Is she crazy, or is something else going on? This book is full of flashbacks that seem to be of her grandmother, who apparently also had issues. Then Noah is still around and crazy for Mara. He seems to be the only one who believes Mara and even goes so far as to get himself committed with her. Yeah, she gets sent off to the crazy house.Nothing I can say will give this book justice, so if you like creepy with a side of romance, you should definitely check out this series. Really, it’s that good! I will anxiously be awaiting the third book, The Retribution of Mara Dyer, in October. I can’t wait and have happily already converted one friend into a Mara fan. I’m still freaking out over the end, I need to know what happened next! It was just too much!
The Mockingbirds - Daisy Whitney So I had heard a lot of good things about this book. But I forgot about it for the longest time. Then one day, I saw it on the bargain shelf at Chapters and remembered it was supposed to be good, so I picked it up. It's a relatively short read, just over 300 pages. Surprisingly, I actually read it shortly after buying it, much to the disappointment of all the books that have been sitting on my shelf for over a year, just waiting to be read.Basically, the book is about a girl who is date raped. She doesn't really remember much but starts to have flash backs and realizes that she did not in fact give permission to have sex. It was her first time and she doesn't remember it, worse, it apparently happened twice. As the story goes on, she begins to remember more and more, getting madder and madder at what's happened to her. She enlists the help of the student led and operated court, which is the Mockingbirds. They are there for the students because the teachers live in a dream world where nothing wrong ever happens at their school, the students are perfect and even if someone comes to them about an issue, they ignore it or that person is kicked out for some reason or other. So the students are there for justice.It's a pretty interesting read and I thought it did a great job of showing how someone reacts to being date raped. A lot of rape victims are afraid to report it because of what it is, and you learn as you go on that this has actually happened before, but that person was too afraid to push forward. A lot of people are ashamed and feel like they asked for it. Which isn't true. Unfortunately there isn't much justice in the world when it comes to rape but I thought the way it was handled in this story was good. I really liked the writing style and was pretty much able to sit down and read this book in one sitting. It kept my attention and kept me reading. I will definitely be looking to continue on with the series and will be watching out for more by Daisy Whitney.