Review: Fifty Shades of Mr. Darcy by William Codpiece Thwackery

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Why did her heart race, and her bloomers quiver, at the thought of submitting to Mr Darcy’s every whim?
When Mr. Elliot Bingley comes to court Lizzy Bennet's sister, she meets his mysterious, grey-eyed friend, a Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. After only a couple of balls, Lizzy is lured into Darcy's secret world of lascivious practices and lusty urges.

MY TAKE:

I like parodies so even if I've never read Fifty Shades of Grey, I just had to get this one.

In Fifty Shades of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet is sucked into the kinky world of the billionaire Fitzwilliam Darcy. At the same time, she's worrying about her sisters who have to navigate the crazy world of Victorian/modern England.

I never got around to reading the Fifty Shades series because after skimming the book at a bookstore, I realized that it's just not my kind of writing. Some of the descriptions did not feel sexy at all. I'm not anti-S&M or anything, but there's a way to write these kinds of books that doesn't turn off people who aren't into the lifestyle.

The idea of mashing up Fifty Shades of Grey with Pride and Prejudice worked out better than expected. It helps that there's already animosity between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy so the plot feels a bit more organic. For those looking for Elizabeth and Darcy sexy time, though, there's not much here and what's here is nowhere near as graphic as Fifty Shades.

I enjoyed the occasional references to modern ideas and technologies. Purists might not like that, but it's alright for me since it makes it more accessible and funny.

I'm not too sure about the characters' breaking the fourth wall, though. If these were comics, I would be fine with it, but in a novel, it can be distracting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pocket Star for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. You get to see a weirder, funnier side to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.
2. You get two stories in one.
3. The book makes Victorian England sound exciting and fun.

THE BAD:

1. Purists won't be happy with the references to modern-day ideas and technologies, which tend to break the illusion that you're reading a kinky Pride and Prejudice.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Mr. Darcy fidgeted impatiently. 'Just skip to the dirty bits,' he urged. 'That's  what everyone else does.'

READ IT IF:

1. You liked Fifty Shades of Grey, but didn't like the kinky descriptions.
2. You liked Pride and Prejudice and Fifty Shades of Grey, and you're looking for a good laugh.
3. You've wondered what it would be like if literary characters from classics were a lot more like modern men and women.

RATING:


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Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

MY TAKE:
At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue reading the series as The Iron King underwhelmed me. I'm glad I gave this book a chance.

The Iron Daughter picks up ahile after The Iron King. Meghan is now in the palace of the Winter fey after she bargained with Ash in the first book. This time, though, the threat of the Iron fey has grown and with Winter and Summer going to war, it's up to her, Ash and a few friends they met along the way to save the Nevernever.

I found the plot of The Iron Daughter to be much more exciting than The Iron King. Grimalkin, my favorite character, is back, as well as a few new characters who help to propel the story forward. We get to learn a lot more about the fey world and you come to appreciate how intricate the world Julie Kagawa created is.

I still am not too fond of Meghan, but I really grew to like Ash in this book. I'm rooting for the two of them, especially after that sweet, romantic ending. I mean, I've read plenty of other books whose love story has a similar scene, but why break a trope or a scene if it's not broken?

THE GOOD:

1. Meghan and Ash's love story.
2. Grimalkin and the other new secondary characters are very likable.
3. We learn more about the realm of the Iron fey.

THE BAD:

1. Puck fans will be disappointed.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

“Don’t leave,” I whispered, tightening my hold. “Never leave me again. Stay with me. Forever.”
The Winter prince smiled, a small, easy smile, and lowered his lips to mine. “I promise.”

READ IT IF:

1. You liked the first book.
2. You are a fan of Meghan and Ash.
3. You like faery books.

RATING:


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Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

But they fluttered about on their tiny pink wings and made delicious mixtures of flower nectar and fruit juice, even though they never could remember how to make the same drink twice.

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

MY TAKE:
I've been meaning to read this series for awhile now, but I've been putting it off because the reviews made me hesitant.

In The Iron King, Meghan Chase finds out that she's the daughter of King Oberon and that her best friend is actually the famous Puck from Shakespeare's tale. She also learns that something's brewing in the fey world and she just might be at the center of it all.

So what did I think of the series? I liked the concept and I really liked Julie Kagawa's world-building. The idea of how the fey realms came about was interesting too.

As for the characters, while Grimalkin is basically a more magical and helpful Cheshire Cat, I liked him anyway. In fact, he's my favorite character in the entire book. Meghan, on the other hand, just rubbed me the wrong way. She's annoying and impulsive most of the time and that frustrated me a lot and took away from the beauty of the book.

Neither Puck nor Ash were all that interesting to me in this book, although if I had to choose one, I would prefer Ash. Puck was a little bit too chipper for my taste.

THE GOOD:

1. The world-building is great.
2. The concept behind the feys' existence is interesting and has a lot of potential.
3. The plot is novel enough to make this a fun read.

THE BAD:

1. Meghan can be very annoying and frustrating.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

“Idiot. I told you not to fight the horse thing.”

READ IT IF:

1. You like books about fairies.
2. You like YA books with love triangles.
3. You liked Twilight.

RATING:


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In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg
The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin
Pantomime by Laura Lam
Beware the Pirate Ghost Casebusters #7 by Joan Lowery Nixon

Review: Gorgeous (Avery Sisters Trilogy #2) by Rachel Vail

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS.COM:

She's looking good...but Allison Avery can't believe it. Growing up with beautiful, blond sisters, Allison has always been the dark-haired, "interesting-looking" Avery. So when the devil shows up and offers to make her gorgeous, Allison jumps at the chance to finally get noticed. But there's one tiny catch, and it's not her soul: The devil wants her cell phone.

Though her deal with the devil seems like a good idea at the time, Allison soon realizes that being gorgeous isn't as easy as it looks. Are her new friends and boyfriend for real, or do they just like her pretty face? Allison can't trust anyone anymore, and her possessed phone and her family's financial crisis aren't making things any easier. Plus when she finds out that she might be America's next teen model, all hell breaks loose. Allison may be losing control, but how far is she willing to go to stay gorgeous forever?

Following the critically acclaimed LUCKY, Rachel Vail continues her poignant sisterhood trilogy with the rebellious middle Avery sister, Allison. Fiery, sarcastic, and just plain fun, GORGEOUS captures the heartbreak and hilarity in one girl's attempt to have it all.

MY TAKE:
This book was an okay read for me.

In Gorgeous, Allison Avery is the middle child who isn't sure where she fits in. She doesn't think she's pretty and the guy she likes barely notices her. One night, she dreams that she traded her cellphone to the devil in exchange for seven people to think she's gorgeous.

This book started out sort of strong for me, but near the middle, it kind of dragged on a little bit for me. As far as plot twists went, I wasn't quite sure where the story was going as there were a lot of side plots and red herrings.

As for Allison had her nice moments, but there were times when I wanted to yell at her for doing stupid things. I actually liked her friend Roxie more, weirdly enough. She wasn't annoying and she's a really good friend.

THE GOOD:

1. Allison has a great sense of humor.
2. There are some fun moments in the book.
3. The "cell instead of soul" thing was interesting.

THE BAD:

1. Allison could be annoying sometimes.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

He laughed out loud. "Like Faust, but your cell instead of your soul?" he asked.

READ IT IF:

1. You've always wanted to be more gorgeous.
2. You hate it when people call you "interesting-looking".
3. You don't think you're pretty.

RATING:

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Review: One Pink Line by Dina Silver

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Can the love of a lifetime be forever changed by one pink line? Dina Silver's tender, absorbing novel, One Pink Line, is the warmhearted, wry story of love, loss and family, as seen through the prism of one singular, spirited young couple who find themselves in a predicament that changes the course of their lives, and those closest to them. With heart, humor and compassion, this debut work of women's fiction is certain to stir anyone who relishes a good laugh, can stand a good cry, and, above all believes in the redemptive power of love.
This unique, contemporary story gives readers a dual perspective. Sydney Shephard, a sweet-tempered, strong-natured college senior is young, in love with an exceptional man, and unexpectedly pregnant. Faced with a child she never planned for, she is forced to relay this news to her neurotic mother, relinquish her youth, and risk losing the love of her life. Then there's Grace, a daughter, who believed she was a product of this great love, grows to realize her existence is not what she assumed, and is left with profound and puzzling questions about who she really is.
Spanning generations and every imaginable emotion, One Pink Line reveals how two points of view can be dramatically at odds, and perhaps ultimately reconciled. Simultaneously deeply felt and lighthearted, One Pink Line deftly mines how the choices we make are able to alter so many lives, and how doing the right thing and living honestly can bring unexpected, hard-won happiness. It's a must-read for anyone who craves a great love story, absorbing characters, and plenty of laughs along the way.

MY TAKE:

The summary of this book sounded so interesting to me so I didn't think twice about requesting it.

In One Pink Line, Sydney and Grace tell their stories from their younger years to their adult years. Sydney gets pregnant in college and must then decide what to do with the baby. Grace, on the other hand, is trying to come to terms with the fact that the father she's always known isn't her biological father.

I actually expected something of a mother-daughter drama, but what I got was a story of a young mother and the story of a young child trying to understand her roots. Their bond didn't really stand out to me. It's not so bad, though, as both stories can stand on their own.

At the start, though, I was confused when the narrative suddenly switched to Grace's point-of-view. Usually, when I read books for review, I don't reread the blurb. As such, I had no idea who she was and at first I thought that the author had originally named her character Grace and just forgot to change the name in some chapters, especially since Grace's narrations read a lot like Sydney's.

In terms of the plot, there was so much going on that it seemed like there were parts that were rushed and there wasn't enough build up. As such, I didn't care as much about some of the characters as I could have, especially the secondary characters. There were also times when I thought that the characters' reactions didn't seem realistic. The writer's sense of humor makes this an enjoyable read, though.

Thanks to NetGalley and Createspace for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a feel-good book.
2. There's a lot of potential here.
3. Some girls might be able to relate well to Sydney or Grace.

THE BAD:

1. Some parts may feel a bit rushed.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

"It's hard to say," she said, looking at the ticker tape. "We never know when our guest of honor will appear."
"Doctor Pearl?" I asked hopefully, and saw Kendra roll her eyes.
"No," Peyton smiled. "Your baby."

READ IT IF:

1. You like chick lit.
2. You or someone you know had experience similar to Sydney's.
3. You can relate to Grace.

RATING:


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