Review: Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Copy Courtesy of Harper Collins and NetGalley
Release Date: 2/15/2011

Ellie is living it up as a wealthy suburban teen (think BMW's). Of course, she's also having nightmares and her grades are slipping. Turns out, that's not all she has to worry about; she also has to kick monster (reaper) butts because she's the Preliator (basically THE human that gets reincarnated over and over again to kick monster butts). The bonus is that she's got a hot sidekick called Will who likes to be mysterious about Ellie's past that she can't seem to remember at the moment.

This story somewhat reminds me of Bleach (an anime) - hero gets bigger and badder powers as s/he fights, in the modern world, bigger and badder monsters who eat human souls to save the world. A lot of time is spent trying to explain the back story of Ellie's previous lives, the conflict she is embroiled in, and battles, which are interesting, but these elements start to get tedious after awhile and seem to be overly complex (I'm not a huge fan of detailed battle maneuvers).

One thing that really threw me right at the beginning of the book was the fact that higher level reapers are called vir since I just finished reading the Night Angel trilogy, which defines vir as a vile kind of magic. This is an unfortunate coincidence and not the fault of the author, but it was part of my experience.

I enjoyed being inside Ellie's head though with her internal schizophrenia of being this ancient being as well as a somewhat spoiled teenage girl who is confused. She also has some philosophical dialogues which I'd like to see her pursue more vigorously.

I think this story could use more editing, but otherwise it is not bad.

Star Rating: 2.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Angelfire at Amazon

Busting the Newbie Blues

I consider myself quite a newbie in the book blogging world so I'm taking part in this awesome event hosted by Small Review. Go here to check out the details.

It comes with a survey!

When did you start your blog?
I started the book reviewing nature of this blog in September this year.

Why did you start your blog?
I had been looking for a topic I could blog consistently about because I want to work on my writing skills, and well, I love books. That's the topic that's been working the best ^.^

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Trying to build an audience takes up way more time (at least subjectively) than reading the books or writing the reviews.

What do you find most discouraging about being a new blogger?
The ups and downs of traffic are really discouraging.

What do you find most encouraging?
The fact that I'm building some traffic, and there are some nice people that come around and comment on what I'm writing about.

What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog?
Hmm... I like what people have written for review policies and have definitely incorporated stuff for that. I liked that some sites have an index of just their reviews so I have one of those too... I haven't quite gotten around to putting together a list of challenges I want to take part in next year so definitely look for that to come out soon.

What do you dislike about blogs you’ve read? Do you try to avoid this?
I dislike music on blogs and some blogs have so much stuff in their sidebars that it takes forever to load the pages. I really try to avoid scripts/paraphernalia creep in my sidebar, and I definitely don't have any music.

Any advice for other new bloggers?
Things take time, and other bloggers are generally pretty nice. They don't bite, so try to talk to them. (I promise I don't bite either ^.^)

Anything else you’d like to share about your experience?
Blogging is a lot more time consuming than I ever thought it would be, but it's been a fun learning experience for sure.

Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your blog?
I am picky about my books so I tend to grade them very strictly. You will often find that my ratings are a star or two lower than other people's reviews. I really only want to say I love books that I really truly love and will recommend without any reservations. Thus, 3 stars is not a bad rating.

A Single Break Day

I'm chewing through all the reviews I've had time to write so I'm going to take a day to read and write up some more review. I'm also taking part in the Holiday Readathon Party on Twitter later today~~

Review: Lily of the Nile (Cleopatra's Daughter #1) by Stephanie Dray

Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

Copy Courtesy of Stephanie Dray
Release Date: 1/4/2011

Cleopatra. That name brings many things to mind, but did you know she had a daughter (and 3 sons)? Her name was Selene and this is her re-imagined, and magic-ified story. Selene and 2 of her brothers are captured by Octavian, the architect of her father Marc Antony and her mother's downfall, and brought into his 'family.' She must navigate the treacherous politics of this Roman world she finds herself in.

History sticklers beware, there are obviously some changes to the story so put on your enjoying reading hat before you read.

It did hurt to read some of the beginning parts of this book because of the viewpoint from the loser of an empire (very realistic and vivid). The hatred of Octavian (he's a real prick) and the obsequiousness of Selene is hard to stomach, but her thought process and reactions make a lot of sense even as Selene's twin brother rebellion makes sense.

There isn't a lot of action per se. The plot is not fast paced (it does drag a little at times); it's more of an exploration of Selene's internal and external struggles with her religion, her legacy and of course her captured status. I enjoyed this journey, but it's not for everyone.

The ending really makes all of Selene's struggles and having to put up with Octavian worth it. It is a powerful setup for the next book, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

A quick reminder that Stephanie did an interview with me last weekend, so you should definitely go check that out as well.

Star Rating: 3.5/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Lily of the Nile at Amazon

Review: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Everyone has 1 Breath. You can voluntarily give up this Breath (you don't die, it's not a soul silly). Others are willing to pay for your Breath because they basis for magic and power. In this world, those with the most Breaths are revered. There are also living gods who receive Breath everyday to keep living. Corruption brews somewhere in this world of Breaths.

Sanderson creates yet another world with a very intriguing magic system. I bow to his ability. The technicalities of the magic system may be a bit much for some, but I greatly enjoy learning about new magic systems so it didn't bother me at all.

As with other epics, there are a lot of characters although Sanderson has a gift for making them all distinct and transitions between them smooth. This is lighter in tone than most epics tend to be especially because one of the main characters, Lightsong, delights in making a joke out of everything.

If you've read and enjoyed another Sanderson book, you will enjoy Warbreaker as it is classic Sanderson. His writing style has only gotten better with each book he publishes.

Star Rating: 4.0/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Warbreaker at Amazon

Book Blog Hop & Follow Friday (Dec 3)

Welcome from Book Blog Hop hosted by Crazy for Books and Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee!

What very popular and hyped book in the blogosphere did you NOT enjoy and how did you feel about posting your review?

Definitely did not enjoy Nightshade (nor Unearthly very much), and I actually posted a review for that book this week ^.^ so I don't really have a problem posting negative reviews. Extra-hype sometimes makes me very wary of a book because I feel publishers lower their bar for what is published in popular genres, and I'm picky.



What do you do besides reading / reviewing as a hobby?
I game, and before you ask, yes I did play WoW for awhile although I try to stay away from MMO's. I also cook. I love my cooking gadgetry. I'm also a tech nerd so I read gizmodo and ycom hacker news.

Stuff going on at Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books this week:

New Meme - Third Sentence Thursday! Come join in the fun next week ^.^

Holiday Readathon for Child's Play Charity! You can read for charity too.

Interview with Author Stephanie Dray! Review for her upcoming release Lily of the Nile coming on Saturday~~

Reviews:
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

Holiday Readathon~~

I'm taking part in the Holiday Readathon over at the WhoRu Blog! For every page I read between today and 11:59 AM on Dec 5th, 1 cent will be donated to Child's Play Charity, a great charity that donates toys to sick kids in children's hospitals.

You can jump in at any time during the Readathon so go go go!

I've read: last part of Emmy's Song, Awaken, and Solid so far ^.^

My initial goal is 1000 pages:

Third Sentence Thursday (#1)

Grab the Code

<a href="http://snifflykitty.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Third Sentence Thursday" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNF6L9g6kFcPnLrdwduf7eiEBTXfVTgO7j8AsNjFdP1BiosV_3_EOcuPUSJZ-yrQ_MM_eTyV3Gv1rpptbU-89HD5peK5CWnETvORgducIXEL8OASz8x5vpphCwIWZWUC8q6bq7ZavQlXA/s800/thirdsthursday1d2%20(Custom).png"/></a>

I'm starting up a new meme (hopefully it will catch on and become a meme anyway heh). The title was inspire by a post on Scalzi's Whatever Blog in which someone claims the third sentence in The God Engines is the worst ever. I thought it would be amusing to review third sentences in general and maybe some other fun things with third sentences.

So, this is how it will work this week:

1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your review here or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!
4) Prepare for next week

"The chill wind that followed him through chased down his neck as the last icy grasp of winter clawed at him." -Intrigues by Mercedes Lackey

Review:
Obviously, the wind is an omen of chilling things to come (I couldn't help myself) or perhaps it's more that the wind is flirting with our mysterious character ^.~ This is a classic dual purpose third sentence. It's a workhorse meant to carry the weight of the story. Readers will enjoy its vivid imagery.

Next week: Pick the funniest third sentence.

Review: Beyond the Shadows (Night Angel #3) by Brent Weeks

Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

*Spoiler Alert: If you haven't read the previous 2 books in this series, this review contains spoilers. You have been warned. Catch the previous reviews: Book 1 - Way of the Shadows and Book 2 - Shadow's Edge*

You wanted a summary didn't you. Something to help with encompassing this book. I can't give that to you. Not something pithy anyway. There's a TON of action in this book. It ties up all the threads that should be tied up and more. Kylar finds Durzo, mayhem, and more about how his ka'kari works. Vi travels to the Chantry, and becomes a symbol for change. Dorian becomes the Godking. Elene? Well, she learns a lot (I swear if I say anything more it reveals too much). Logan? He becomes what he needs to become (cryptic cryptic~~).

There are a thousand things going on in this book, and things you barely noticed in the previous books turn out to have huge impacts. Then, before your very eyes, everything gets weaved into a beautiful tapestry. Sure, there are some quirks, omg there are so many characters to follow, and this is not a book about fairness, but things fit the way they're supposed to.

You will get frustrated with characters and events because of this impending sense of doom behind the actions of everyon. The scale and scope of what unfolds and intertwines though is magnificent.

This is one of those books that are hard to pick up (probably because it is very dense) but once you do, you wonder why you waited so long to pick it up. This ending makes reading the series worth it.

Star Rating: 4.0/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Beyond the Shadows at Amazon
*This is a Book Review Wednesday post - go here to join the party.*

Starting a New Meme

Grab the Code

<a href="http://snifflykitty.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Third Sentence Thursday" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNF6L9g6kFcPnLrdwduf7eiEBTXfVTgO7j8AsNjFdP1BiosV_3_EOcuPUSJZ-yrQ_MM_eTyV3Gv1rpptbU-89HD5peK5CWnETvORgducIXEL8OASz8x5vpphCwIWZWUC8q6bq7ZavQlXA/s800/thirdsthursday1d2%20(Custom).png"/></a>

Just a heads up that I'll be starting a new meme tomorrow because Thursday should have another meme~~ Hope you guys join in the fun ^.^ all you have to do is review the third sentence of the book you are reading (make it serious, silly, sarcastic, it's up to you).

Update: It's up go there now~~