review

Of Mice and Men

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1937)

Of Mice and Men

Fiction | Classic4.5 starsBlurb:

“The compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world. Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream–a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes such as the friendship of a shared vision, and giving voice to America’s lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men has proved one of Steinbeck’s most popular works, achieving success as a novel, a Broadway play and three acclaimed films.”
–Goodreads  Continue reading →

Imperfect

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

Imperfect (Disappeared #1) by Bronwyn Kienapple (2015)
-NetGalley Review-

imperfect

YA Fiction | Historical Romance3 StarsBlurb:

“England, 1813. Lady Theodosia feels she has no choice but to marry a man she doesn’t love. That is until she stumbles into a different universe — an astonishing, mystical forest inhabited by the Nextic, a peaceful people who live close to nature.

Ahuil is fiercely independent until he meets Theodosia. Cut off from his own people, he nurses a dark secret. But in Theodosia he sees someone he can trust … and love.  Continue reading →

The Spirit Trap

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

The Spirit Trap by Veryan Williams-Wynn (2015)
-eARC Review-

the spirit trap

Middle Grade Fiction | Historical Paranormal2 StarsBlurb:

“When her grandmother’s ashes along with a family portrait arrive at her home in England, fourteen-year-old Tatiana finds herself being tormented by supernatural forces. To free herself from the increasingly persistent hauntings, she has to find and release the ghost of an ancestor caught up in the terror of the French Revolution. With the aid of her cousin, Marcus, she sets out on a mission, which leads them through the dramas of present-day life in Paris and the frightening upheavals of Revolutionary France.”
–Goodreads

Expected Publication Date: December 11, 2015  Continue reading →

The Piano Lesson

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

The Piano Lesson (The Century Cycle #4) by August Wilson (1990)

the piano lesson

Theatre | Drama | Historical Paranormal3.5 StarsBlurb:

“At the heart of the play stands the ornately carved upright piano which, as the Charles family’s prized, hard-won possession, has been gathering dust in the parlor of Berniece Charles’s Pittsburgh home. When Boy Willie, Berniece’s exuberant brother, bursts into her life with his dream of buying the same Mississippi land that his family had worked as slaves, he plans to sell their antique piano for the hard cash he needs to stake his future. But Berniece refuses to sell, clinging to the piano as a reminder of the history that is their family legacy. This dilemma is the real “piano lesson,” reminding us that blacks are often deprived both of the symbols of their past and of opportunity in the present.  Continue reading →

The Hunger Games Trilogy

~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

mockingjay

*This post contains all 3 separate reviews for the series so scroll with caution*

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins (2008)

The Hunger Games

YA Fiction | Dystopian4.5 starsBlurb:

“Winning will make you famous.
Losing means certain death.

The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The ‘tributes’ are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.  Continue reading →

A Thousand Nights

~ Angela ~ 1 Comment

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston (2015)

A Thousand Nights
YA Fiction | Historical Paranormal
4 Stars
Blurb:

“Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister’s place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin’s court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong. Continue reading →

The Scorpion Rules

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

The Scorpion Rules (Prisoners of Peace #1) by Erin Bow (2015)

The Scorpion Rules
YA Fiction | Sci-Fi
4 Stars
Blurb:

“The world is at peace, said the Utterances. And really, if the odd princess has a hard day, is that too much to ask?

Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.

Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under—and to her own power.  Continue reading →

The Rose Society

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

The Rose Society (Young Elites #2) by Marie Lu (2015)

Rose Society

YA Fiction | Historical Fantasy | Villain’s Story
4 StarsBlurb:

“Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Continue reading →

Meuric

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

MEURIC: Beginnings: Part One (A Protectorate Series Novel #1) by Maurice Jennings (2015)
-NetGalley Review-

Meuric

Fiction | High Fantasy2.5 StarsBlurb:

“In the world of Terit’re, where the gods and magic exist, a secretive band of warriors known only as Knight Protectors, are tasked with defending the people of the world against the evil of the dark gods.

A new evil arises; the rules have changed. One by one, the warriors are assassinated. Faeder, ruler of the New Gods, learns of a future where they are all wiped from existence by this new dark force – and so his race for Terit’re and all of their futures begins.

Forbidden to influence events directly, he reaches out to two warriors to fight his cause. But can they be trusted? One is a former Knight Protector who now hates the organisation that created him. The other is a soldier who fights for this new evil.”
-Goodreads Continue reading →

Story Time

~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

Story Time by Edward Bloor (2005)

Story Time

Middle Grade Fiction | Horror-Thriller4 StarsBlurb:

“George and Kate are promised the finest education when they transfer to the Whittaker Magnet School. It boasts the highest test scores in the nation. But at what price? Their school’s curriculum is focused on beating standardized tests; classes are held in dreary, windowless rooms; and students are force-fed noxious protein shakes to improve their test performance. Worst of all, there seems to be a demon loose in the building, one whose murderous work has only just begun.

A bitterly funny satire about the state of modern education from the author of Tangerine and Crusader.”
–Goodreads  Continue reading →