Posts Tagged ‘book review’

• Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley

  Date: 2014.05.17 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 1

  Where I Got the Book: From the book group I have recently joined: Not So YA Book Club at Little Shop of Stories

  In Short: Pioneering girl attends a previously all male military school trying to survive against those who want her out.

  Sam McKenna is from a military family. Her father is a distinguished lieutenant colonel, one brother was a ranger, and the other has a very promising military career ahead of him. Growing up as an army brat she spends most of her time competing with her brothers seeing who can accomplish the dares that the others challenge them to do. Sam never backs down from a dare.

  Last year Sam’s oldest brother killed himself. Before he did, however, he dared her to become part of the first group of girls to ever be admitted to a traditionally all male military high school. As sophomore joining this school Sam will be lumped in with the rest of the freshman recruits and have to go through basic training with them. It means no cell phone, no TV, no free time, and no walking anywhere other than the gutter as long as she’s a recruit. As a female it means everything is going to be twice as hard. Most of the school is in an uproar over females being allowed to attend and several are more than willing to make sure the girls don’t last the year.

  While proving herself worthy of admittance to the military school Sam (known as McKenna or Mac by those at the academy) discovers a secret organization known as the “Society” who want her as well as the other female recruits gone and they will stop at nothing to force them out of the school.

  This book was amazing! I had to force myself to stop reading at several points because of life needing attention instead of letting me read. Hensley wrote very diverse characters and more than believable scenes. At one point I realized I was unconsciously holding my upper arm forward waiting for another character to see the bruises that Sam/Mac had on her arm. I kept wanting to jump in the book and help her out–or figure out away to get President Obama involved! Some parts genuinely had me holding my breath or had my stomach tied in knots worrying over what would happen to the characters.

  I don’t know if there will be a sequel to this book, but I know I will definitely keep an eye out for more by this author. I also absolutely intend on buying this book when it is released.

  Red Flags: There is teenage drinking and smoking. Because of the situation I would find it out of the ordinary if there weren’t any cursing and there is, but I don’t think it is excessive. There are some “intimate” moments (some good, some bad), but nothing graphic. Also, we learn more about her brother’s death, but it too is not graphic.

  Grading

  Plot: 10/10

  Characters: 10/10

  Writing: 10/10

  Originality: 10/10

  Enjoyment: 10/10

  Overall: 50/50

  Tidbits

  Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Military, Underdog

  Original Release Date: Not yet released! Projected release date to be 09-09-14

  Author’s website: http://www.joynhensley.com/

  Twitter: @joynhensley

• Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

  Date: 2012.07.07 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 0

  Where I Got the Book: My favorite indie book store: Little Shop of Stories

  
  

  In Short: Jane Austen themed vacation, murder mystery

  
  

  Charlotte Kinder is a woman and mother barely surviving a divorce. She has locked her emotions and her heart away to keep her safe from pain. Better to be numb than to be overcome with heartache.
  

  
  

  When visiting her mother she comes across a note from her younger self with goals to achieve. One such goal: reading some works by Jane Austen. Austen’s books make Charlotte begin to feel again, to hope again. She decides to take a vacation to visit places like the ones in Austen’s world and ends up in a resort that specializes in creating 19th Century experiences for their guests.

  
  

  I don’t think her younger self meant for Charlotte to get caught up in not one, but two mysterious murders. One occurring centuries ago and the other happening before her eyes.

  This book is not exactly a sequel per se to Austenland. While it does have a handful of references to the first book I would say this one could stand alone or beside Austenland without any dependence on it whatsoever. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a book like that before which makes it pretty unique.

  
  

  This book was riveting. Truly. It doesn’t just deal with the present of pretending to live in the past. It’s in a constant evolving flow so that you get to know the protagonist as a child, a teen, a woman, a mother, and as a person trying to find faith again in relationships, and herself. All while learning about Charlotte you’re taken into the dance of falling in love again and kept on your toes trying to solve two different murder cases.
  

  
  

  Red Flags: If this book were made into a movie (which I hope some day it is), it would be given a  PG-13 rating due to a few innuendos and the presence of alcohol (apparently any use of a drug bumps a movie up automatically to PG-13). I do not remember, however, there being one bit of profanity used. To me that’s pretty major because it seems to me that people think something can’t interest adults without involving at least some expletives.

  Grading

  Plot: 10/10

  Characters: 10/10

  Writing: 10/10

  Originality: 10/10

  Enjoyment: 10/10

  Overall: 50/50

  Tidbits

  Genre: Adult Fiction, Murder Mystery, Romance

  Original Release Date: January 31, 2012

  Author’s website: http://www.squeetus.com/stage/main.html

  Twitter: @haleshannon

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShannonHaleBooks