In My Mailbox (4)

In Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got 3 books.

Library:

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

I liked the first one so I decided to go ahead and read the second. Hopefully it's as good as the first!

For Review:

The Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser

This is the first book that I get for review so I'm really excited about reading this one!

Other:

Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

 I had my own copy of Tempted but it was messed up so I emailed the publisher and they sent me a copy that wasn't messed up. Now I can finally read it!

What did you get this week?

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Title: The Ruins of Gorlan
Author: John Flanagan
Published: 2004
Pages: 249
Rating:4/5
Summary: The Rangers, with their shadowy ways have always made him nervous. And now fifteen-year-old Will has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. But what he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom who will fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time he will not be denied.

Review: I didn't think that I would like this book as much as I did but that's what I love about books.

The story starts off with Will getting ready for the Choosing Day. This day is important to him and his wardmates because it will determine what they will do and who they will become. From there the book goes to talk about the life that Will is living after the Choosing Day. Will learns what a Ranger does and who they really are. He also learns about the troubles that are yet to come.

The book changed perpectives between will and Horace, his wardmate. This helped me understand what Hoarace was going through and how it was different from what Will was going through. Even though it changes perspectives between both Will and Horace, the story focused on Will. We didn't see a lot of the other wards that grew up with Will but in the times that they did appear I liked what I saw of them.

The writing made it easy for me to read, which I really liked. I thought that this book was a good introduction for the series. There wasn't much that happened except for the end. It didn't throw too much information but enough for the reader to know what was going on. Overrall, I thought this book was really good!

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got 2 books. I can't seem to stop buying books even though I buy them faster than I can read them! Is there a cure to this?!

Bought:

Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince? by Melissa Kantor

What did you get this week?

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Title: Rebel Angels
Author: Libba Bray
Published: 2003
Pages: 548
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy‒spending time with her friends in the city, attending balls in fancy gowns with plunging necklines, and dallying with the handsome Simon Middleton. Yet amid these distractions, her visions intensify‒visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened that only the realms can explain.

Review: I had read the first in the trilogy and decided to read the rest, and I'm glad that I did! This lived up to what I expected and went beyond.

After setting loose the magic, Gemma must find the Temple. For Christmas she goes to the home she doesn't even know. Kartik is there always telling her that she must find the Temple and bind the magic before anything happens. Along the way she meets new people that help her on her quest and that also mean harm to her. While visiting the realms, she sees the changes that have taken place since the last time that she was there. Finding the Temple proves to be harder than Gemma thought.

I felt that I got to know a bit more about Gemma and a few other characters. Every time Gemma had a doubt about someone, I felt it too. I was always wishing that Kartik would appear throughout the book. In the times that he did appear, I could see a bit more of what he was feeling. Ann and Felicity annoyed me at times because it seemed that they cared about going to the realms more than they cared for Gemma.

The writing was in a way that seemed to fit the story and the time that it takes place in, but not old enough that I couldn't read it the way I normally do. This gave me more of a feel for the story.

I really liked how the book continued the story from the first book and hope that the third one will be just as good as the first two or even better.

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got 3 books.


Library:

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Bought:

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Title: Anne of Green Gables
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
Published: 1908
Pages: 297
Rating: 5/5
Summary: When Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables farm on Prince Edward Island, she surprises everyone: first of all, she is a girl. Marilla Cuthbert and her brother, Matthew, had specifically asked for an orphan boy. She has bright red hair that won't manage and a mouth that won't shut. Nothing will ever be the same at Green Gables!

Review: This book was simply amazing! I felt that I got to know the other characters as well as Anne. The way Montgomery described the settings helped me imagine everything that Anne saw and loved. By the end of the book I loved Green Gables as much as Anne did or even more.

The story follows the life of Anne. We first meet her when she is 11 and at end of the story she is 16. Since the beginning of the book I felt drawn to Anne and had the urge to know what would become of the girl that had arrived to Green Gables by accident. We see how Anne grows, makes mistakes, and matures from them.

The characters all had good things and bad things about them, especially Anne. She managed to get into enough troubles to last someone a lifetime. I honestly cared for what happened to Anne, all of her friends, and even those that weren't her friends by the end of the book.

There was a part towards the end of the book that I felt exactly what Anne was going through. The way that she described her feelings felt as if she was describing my feelings when I went through the same thing. This only made me love the book even more. I enjoyed reading the book immensely.