Jenn

I really appreciated the pace in which the author revealed the world to us, the readers. Many books of this genre tell the story as if the reader should have some foreknowledge of how the world is set up and they have to play catch up to try and understand what's going on. James does a great job of revealing the world to us in a way that keeps pace with the character's understanding. It really was a pleasure.

I identified with Thomas early on and understood his reactions better than the reactions of some of the other characters, but this being the start of a series, I imagine that we may gain further understanding of his back story as the series proceeds.

I read the book in 3 days, which is perhaps the best indicator of how well I was able to immerse myself into the story and want to continue reading.

This was an interesting book, although at the end of it I still was not quite understanding the world. This is the first book in a series, so I imagine that I will understand better as the series goes on.

That said, I mostly liked the characters Kate and Silas, but was not very impressed with Edgar. I'm not sure if he's supposed to be some sort of romantic interest for Kate, but he seemed a little flat.

Uncle Artemis also felt a little flat.

I suppose that's a good analogy for the book. Just as Silas was living with only a fragment of his soul, this book seems to have just a fraction of its soul. It could have been more exciting, but just wasn't.

I thought the story was clever and spoke realistically about long-distance relationships, especially those which are new and uncertain.

This was a cute book. I'd recommend it for school-age kids, as it has a decent moral lesson about being nice to others, and has some neat “bonus features” like a glossary in the back on marine life discussed in the book and samples of the character's homework assignments that they had to do during the course of the story.

This book I would probably rate at 3 1/2 stars. It's a solid effort and I do like the characters, but the way in which the Malory family appears in the story seems a bit forced, although by now I'm invested in hearing all about them. :)

I like that the male lead is a bit more complicated than other protagonists for this genre, and that – for once! – the female protagonist is rather independent, and is a businesswoman.

I think this would be a good chapter book to read with your kids at bedtime. It's an interesting fantasy world, and every chapter has a drawing on the page, reminiscent of fairy tale books.

I enjoyed reading this book. I've been a long-time fan of Tom Clancy and enjoy the world that he has built.

Being written by Mark Greaney, it certainly has differences from other books in the canon. The book itself is shorter than the most of Clancy's other works, and the plotline is less complicated, with more straightforward storytelling. In Clancy's novels, you need to piece together all of the players – he makes the author almost need to be an analyst in his own right while trying to figure out the big picture from many seemingly unrelated events. In Greaney's novel, he goes so far as to include a Cast of Characters in the beginning, which you can reference as you read the story.

So, while I still prefer Clancy's material, I am glad to have read this one and hope that Greaney continues to carry on Clancy's tradition.

I have long been a fan of Johanna Lindsey and her series of books following the Malory family. This one had an interesting intrigue alongside the romance story, so that was refreshing and welcome. There were a lot of references to other family members, and while this didn't detract from the story, it does make me want to go back and re-read some of the other books to become familiar again with the characters.

I thought this book was well-written, super-funny, and had some great insights into delving into the Bible. I'm currently finishing up a small blog post highlighting some of my favorite parts; keep an eye on cadyly.stblogs.com

I really enjoyed this book. It had a great plot, realistic and interesting characters and the format of the book with the illustrations and photos really added to the experience.

I loved how both Amy and Roger had issues to work through at the start of the story and how I got to watch them grow and deal with these issues.

Plus, it made me really, really want to go on a road trip. :)

It was a light, fluffy read, although the product placement did detract from the story.

A good story, although it could have stood for showing more consequences to Kya's actions. Things were glossed over just a bit too much. I think the depth of hurt that was caused should have been explored a bit more and I'd like to have seen more resolution, but it was a good read.

This book is hilarious! I want to be besties with the author! Read it!

The story really didn't grab me until the last two chapters, and even then it wasn't terribly exciting. But I'm glad that I finally got the book off my to-read list!

SpoilerPlus, the quote: “When they were grown up they were so used to quarrelling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently.”

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld is an alternate history, science fiction story. It is set just prior to World War I and features a prince fleeing for his safety from a society that uses complex machines, and a girl posing as a male soldier from a society that uses genetically manipulated animals. The juxtaposition and interaction between the two made for a fascinating read, even outside of the plot. I would recommend this book, especially perhaps to male teens, and look forward to the sequel. :)

In this book, girls who are treated poorly, are neglected or abused become mermaids upon their death, whereupon they sing boats filled with humans to their deaths in punishment for the evils of humanity. One mermaid, Luce, doesn't agree with this philosophy and struggles with fitting in with her new mermaid family.

This was an interesting book. I don't know that I got all of the voice/empowerment analogies that some other reviewers have suggested are in the book. Not that I couldn't recognize them, but I think that it was reaching a bit to say that Luce learned about the power of voice or became more empowered over the course of the book.

I do want to read the sequel, because I see potential in the story, but this one was a little flat for me. It felt like floating on the surface of the water – your connection with reality is a little muted. Sounds are dampened and feelings are attenuated.

It was an interesting exercise, trying to figure out what constitutes happiness in various locations around the globe. I enjoyed hearing of his travels and different philosophies for living. I think there were lessons to be learned at each location.

Two stars means, “It was ok.” And it was. Overall, the story felt repetitive, not really as if the plot were moving towards a climax. And the “romance” between Picka and Dawn didn't really make any sense, she wanted him... why? Because he didn't see her as a love interest? And he loved her back because... she turned him on as a skeleton? Not great reasons to enter into a relationship.

Anyway, I'm glad I read it, and I understand the author was grieving while writing it, so my sympathy and understanding go out to him and so I won't judge this book too harshly.

This has been one of my favorite Xanth books. After a hiatus, I returned to reading the series and hadn't found then add entertaining as I had in the past, but this one reminded me why I started reading them to begin with.

The characters are humble yet virtuous, likeable and realistic. The story explores themes of love and sacrifice while staying light-hearted. Very well done!

I really liked these characters and the story. The interplay between the two was believable and I was rooting for them the whole way. The ending was a little... what? But I will give it the benefit of the doubt, as it's just the beginning of a series. :)

I really enjoyed this book. I think the relationships were authentic and the characters were very easy to relate to.

I just saw that there is a sequel, so I am definitely in line for that!

I may just have to buy myself a copy of this book.... :)

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I enjoyed the characters of the two Wills and Tiny, but felt that there wasn't much substance to the story, just a lot of characterization.

Now that we know them better, I'd be interested in seeing a follow-up book where more action occurs.

I liked this book, although, for me, the mystery dragged on a bit too long. I even stopped in the middle to Wikipedia the plot, to try and figure out why people were acting all crazy.

But, now that the series is set up, I'm looking forward to the second book.

This is a very well - crafted story. It had a proper sense of impending doom and tension, while remaining very realistic.

I still love Piers Anthony's Xanth series for its witticisms and humor. However, this particular book got a little slow-paced at times, which made certain chapters tedious. Overall, I enjoyed it.