Review of The Girl On The Train

I recently finished reading "The Girl On The Train" by Paula Hawkins. 

This book is soon to be a movie, coming out in October. 

I tend to stick to the Young Adult genre, but a friend suggested I read this.

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and finished the book in only 2 days!

I was particularly drawn to this book because I personally related to 

Rachel Watson, the main character, who was an alcoholic. Rachel

is a drunk who ruined her marriage after countless

black out drunk nights. 

Soon after discovering her husbands affair and their divorce Rachel

gets fired from her job for showing up drunk.

She now spends every day taking the train back and forth to London

so people think she still has her job. Every day the train drives 

past her old house where her ex-husband and his new wife (the mistress) live

with their newborn baby. A few houses down

lives a couple that Rachel romanticizes into the "perfect couple".

She observes this couple everyday, giving them made up names

and background stories. One morning she sees in the news that 

the wife, of her perfect couple, is missing. Soon she discovers that on the night

Megan, the wife, disappeared she spent a black out night on that street fighting with her ex.

Rachel's already messy world gets turned completely upside down.

Now, instead of focusing on her ex-husband and his new wife, 

she dedicates all of her time to finding out what happened to Megan.

Rachel obsesses over Megan's disappearance, making up lies

and inserting herself into the investigation. 

This story was a whirl-wind of emotions and mystery. I was completely

captivated by this story; the plot, the finely tuned

characters and all the secrets and intrigue. There was a short period of the book

where I got a bit frustrated with the slow pace. Overall, it was a great read, though. 

The considerable build-up of suspense made much more sense

once the book came to its end. Although it seems that Rachel is having a psychotic

break, the reader builds empathy for this unlikely character. 

I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys shows like Law and Order or Criminal

Minds and suspense stories. I would give this book a strong 4 out of 5 stars.

Sweet Peril and Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

So, I had a long weekend of being sick in which all I did

was read. Therefore, I am combining my 

review of the final two books in the Sweet Evil series by

Wendy Higgins.

KAIDAN ROWE <3

Sweet Peril was SO much better than I expected.

It has been quite a journey, already, seeing Anna come from being

a perfect little angel, to this party girl who must

save the world. I can't tell you

how heart broken I was when Kaidan was being a 

jerk to Anna. I literally cried (although it's not very hard to make me cry).

I really didn't think that Anna and Kaidan would end up together 

when I started this book. I must admit that

I went into goodreads and read the reviews and spoil 

some of the ending just so I could make sure it was a good ending!

And OH MY FREAKING GOD was it a magical ending. 

 Kaidan Rowe is a bowl full of steaming hottness! Keep a glass

of water nearby because you will be swooning and all

kinds of hot for Mr. Kai. SPOILER ALERT: I was crushed,

but also thought it was so cute, that Kaidan was only

pretending to hate Anna because of her father. I would

have felt differently about him if he had let one of those Dukes keep him

from her.

Overall, this is a very well rounded book and I was

happy that the love story was saved for the end and that the majority 

of the book was dedicated to Anna finding her own strength.

Then there was Sweet Reckoning. 

What a great ending to a series! What I loved most was that it wasn't

a perfectly happy ending, but it wasn't too devastating where it ruined

the whole series. People died, and while it was tragic, it 

made it an intriguing read.

 At times I found it a little hard to believe that the Dukes

continued to be fooled by the Nephilim when they have been around for centuries. 

I think they would've been a bit smarter and aggressive if

they were even slightly suspicious of someone. I mean come on, they're demons!

I thought the ending battle would be a bit bigger, and that

the angels would make an appearance. It was kind of disappointing that they didn't.

But, I still really enjoyed it while I was reading it. I would give Sweet Peril 5 stars

and Sweet Reckoning 4. 

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

 

So, after completing the Harry Potter series I've had a lot of trouble finding a book 

I can fully get into. I read the last two books in one of my all time 

favorite series and was so disappointed I didn't even want

to write a review because I feared my emotions were

skewed due to my undying love for Harry Potter and all it's beloved

characters. 

I read two complete books without getting fully enveloped in them, 

and started two others that I reluctantly put down. Finally

I stumbled upon Wendy Higgins' series Sweet Evil. When I began

reading I was rolling my eyes thinking "Oh joy, another

sappy love story with no strong plot what so ever."

However, I pushed forward telling myself that I had to allow myself 

to get through more than just 1 or 2 chapters. Needless to say, I am

over joyed that I pushed on with this book.

So many crazy emotions invaded me while reading this book

and it was a very blissful change. The story line is very unique

and has some very clever plot lines and character choices. It is still

not turning out as I keep expecting it to, which I absolutely

love in a book. This isn't your typical love story where

in the end the two confess their love and end up

together only to live out the remainder of the series together

with sappy undying love. Oh no, Book 2 and they are 

still not together and Kaidan is still an ass. Might I just

pause here to say that I LOVE the name Kaidan!!!

This book deals with angels in demons, but not

in a way that every other angel book does. It all just felt very genuine to me 

and Wendy is an exquisite writer. I am over joyed that

all the books in this series are out because I am 

extremely inpatient when it comes to books that I love.. Over all, Anna (Our main

character) is such a sweet and innocent girl. But, she definitely

showed us that although she is legit a saint, she's still

got some bad-assery in her

I highly recommend this book to my peeps of all ages. There's

suspense, mystery, drama, romance and the supernatural.

I give this a very strong 5 stars!

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This book

is a pure masterpiece. I was hesitant about this series

when I first started, but this final installment

completely blew my mind. JK Rowling was truly brilliant in every
 aspect of characterization, suspense, plot, etc...
I will forever be a Harry Potter

fan and this book in particular is at the very top of my favorite reads.

For those who haven't read this, I won't give too much away.

My mind was completely blown when Snape's memories

were revealed to us. It was the most unsuspecting aspect

of the story. Snape was one of the bravest characters and I certainly

cried so hard after reliving his memories.

I felt a little angry towards Dumbledore because it seemed he only

became close with Harry so that Harry would kill Voldemort,

not because he "loved" him. It was heart breaking to see

some of our beloved, innocent characters die. Truly heartbreaking.

Everyone needs to read this series!! I Give this book Above and beyond 5 Stars!!!



Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Hello all! So, I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling.

This book was earth shattering!!

 

 

Current Mood:

 

 

 

It was truly amazing from beginning to end. Rowling twisted a far darker

tale than the previous books in this series. Needless to say, she

always leaves us guessing and there's not a dull moment.

It is clear to me now that JK Rowling's gift is not for language,

but for characterization and plotting. I still hit a few

snags along my read that make me cringe, but I am able to get over

it easily because I am so wound up in the story.

 

 

Readers close the final page of this book feeling profoundly distraught and

desperately seeking for the answers as to how our loyal

friends can possibly rise from the ashes of the the Half-Blood Prince.

Our biggest aly in the fight against evil is now dead

and it seems it is up to only Harry to destroy Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

 

What I enjoyed most was how Rowling has given us these

characters to love and hate, and allowed us to grow with them. Now that

they are all maturing she has given us a glimpse of the weaknesses

that some of the stronger characters have (Voldemort, Dumbledore, Draco & Snape).

The humanization that Rowling reveals to her reads is something

that I think we all needed to hear before steering head first into the battle

to end all battles.

 

To my new Harry Potter friends struggling through the first couple

books: hang on tight it's definitely worth it. This is my favorite book by a long shot, so far,

in the series. I have very high hopes for the 7th, and final, installment of

Harry Potter.

 

 

This book deserves every single inch of 5 stars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMENT! LIKE! SUBSCRIBE!

 

 

 



Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

 

    Just finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

This book was sumptuous! The action was rich and the scenes palpable.

 

    I was both angry and happy when Harry got upset that Ron got the prefect badge and not him.
On the one hand, all Ron has ever wanted was to feel important.

Harry always has the fame and
Ron feels invisible. I think Ron deserved this. However, on the other hand, I thought it was a smart
move to show this weakness in Harry. Up to this point Harry has been perfect: brave, generous, sincere. It's just not natural for someone to be that perfect. So, I liked seeing a bit
of weakness in him.

 

 I found myself really laughing out loud during this book, especially the beginning when Harry
is making fun of Dudley.

 

Umbridge really irritated me! Along with Draco. I kept hoping

 Harry would drop his nice act
and do something to really get back at them for being so evil. I hate how all the evil people
just get away with their actions. In the end, it was Hermione who lead Umbridge out into the forest
where she was captured. I'm hoping to see some truculent behavior out of Harry in the next two books!!

 

The ending was so heartbreaking(I wont give away why). I really felt

for Harry. I couldn't imagine what he went through.

I would've been so angry at myself for not listening to Hermione and for not

opening Sirious' present earlier!

  Like I always say, I don't want to give away too much to my fellow readers who haven't
read this series yet.

 

  I would give this book 5 stars. The Harry Potter Series is staying on my good side and
has made a big comeback since the first two books, which were slightly disappointing.

   LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

 

 

Just finished the 4th Harry Potter Installment: Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.

Man oh man, JK Rowling's series gets better with each new book.

 

 

Lots of excitement happening in Harry's world in this book. This particular book is my

favorite so far. We were introduced to a plethora of new creatures and

other wizards from across the world. It was very interesting to learn that there were wizarding

schools beyond just Hogwarts. No one is as

 they appear in this book and the people you think you can

trust most are the real enemies. The outcome of this story was definitely

not predictable at all.

 

This was  the longest book so far yet it seemed to fly by while I was

reading it. The story jinked every time you turned the page. The elegant and beautiful

students from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang were a much needed mixture to

our usual characters. I think, without the addition of these characters, the

series would be a bit dull to me. This was a much needed change in scenery.

 

The ending of this book was tragic, but also a great set up for

the next installment! The plotting and pacing of this book were brilliantly mastered

and the characterization was genuinely rich with great detail. I have found

that it is a common thought that the first two books

of this series are mediocre at best, but as you continue it really draws you in:

 

"I read the first novel in the Harry Potter series, ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,''

in April 1999 and was only moderately impressed. But in

April 1999 I was pretty much all right. Two months later I was

involved in a serious road accident that necessitated a long and painful

period of recuperation. During the early part of this period I read

 Potters 2 and 3 (''Chamber of Secrets,'' ''Prisoner of Azkaban'') and found

myself a lot more than moderately wowed." - Stephen King

 

For those of you struggling through the first two books I highly suggest

you hang in there for the long haul. It will be worth it.

 

I give this book 5 stars.