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Review: Sacrifice

Sacrifice (Gryphon #3) by Stacey Rourke

I give this book a 4.

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Okay, so the Conduit of the Gryphon has always been terrified of garden gnomes and now she has a reason for it, but I’m jumping ahead of myself.

Let me go ahead and tell you why I didn’t give this great story a five and then move on. Celeste is great, she really is, but her dim-wittedness is starting to drive me crazy…that’s it. I wish the Gryphon would make her smarter.

There is so much I want to say, but I usually make a point not to give away spoilers, so bear with me. I’m just going to list a few things I wish I could elaborate more on.

1. Love continues to be in the air for the Garret family, but not for too long.

2. The title is soooo fitting, it’s almost sad just how much so.

3. Mom finally shows up for a while.

4. There is another really cool conduit to meet, thus my specification in the first sentence. Go back and take a look and see my subtlety.

5. The mystery, or lack thereof, concerning Alex keeps developing…Again, here’s why I wish Celeste was smarter.

6. Titans in this mythology are very different from others I’ve read, but I’m liking them for what they are.

7. There’s something about blondes in this series.

And lastly, I’m ready for this war to finally start.

On a personal note, I’m sad that the book covers are changing with the release of the fourth book. I liked the old covers.

Now back to those gnomes…no that would give too much away.

See my review of book 2 in The Gryphon Series, Embrace.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

 
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Review: Divergent

Divergent (Divergent, book 1) by Veronica Roth

I give this book a 5.

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Here is a story that is simple and yet compelling all at once. It’s YA and I like it, no question, which is really saying something for me.

As with all dystopian novels, there is a ridiculous amount of struggle in this book, but if there wasn’t it wouldn’t be dystopian. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but this story screams irony to me. Factions are somehow established to keep order and bring peace to this world seemingly built of wreckage, but the characters in the book don’t seem to realize how their factions are flawed and will be their ultimate demise (just a prediction).

Beatrice starts out as a small and meek member of the selfless faction and through a series of hard to imagine, understand, and believe events ends up being, Tris, a semi femme fatale member of the brave faction. There is a great deal of violence to this story that may be all shock value, but I like action in my movies, so why not in my books. There are several unanswered questions remaining when this book comes to an end, but I didn’t feel like I was lost in my understanding. I know what I know about the story and assume the rest will be explained later. Even if my questions are never answered, I’ve enjoyed the intrigue.

While this is a great novel for teens, I wonder if younger teens will be able to grasp the meaning of it all. I enjoyed the story immensely, but could understand why someone who is either a true fan of dystopian works or who isn’t a true fan of YA works might have problems with it. In any case, I think it’s worth a read just to find out whether you like it or not.

*I can’t imagine what Hollywood will do to this story on the big screen. I’m a little scared.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Review: Deadblood

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Deadblood by L.A. Little

I give this book a 4 ½, but am obliged to bump it up to a 5.

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1. I want to start off by saying that I know this author. When I learned that he had published his book, I jumped at a chance to purchase it and review it. I also figured this would be a good way for him to see that I really liked it.

2. I’m giving this book a 4 ½ for two basic reasons. 1) I wish the story were longer. Everything in it is perfectly paced and nothing is lacking, I simply wish there was more of it. Maybe there will be more stories down the road. I could definitely follow this as a series. 2) Language. While I know that the average citizen who reads Adult fiction isn’t concerned with the use of profanity, but I am (It’s the good girl inside me). One thing I can say is that the profanity in this story seems very real and natural. It’s not meaningless immature rambling for the sake of being profane, and there is not a lot of it.

3. So here’s where I tell you about the story without giving too much away. The main character is a nice guy (whose name I believe is only mentioned once) working the rock tour scene, trying to live the dream, but soon finds himself living a nightmare. This nice guy, like so many nice guys do, finds that a pretty face is too good to be true, but it’s not like he doesn’t see it coming. The comical internal conversation this guy has with himself makes you like him, but also makes you want to slap him sometimes.

It doesn’t take long for the action of this story to pick up even though the beginning seems slow. In actuality, when you reach the end of the story, you appreciate the beginning so much more. The term Deadblood is so wonderfully and simplistically explained that you almost miss it. You seem to just walk away from the story feeling like you knew it along. This twist on the legend of vampires is quite refreshing as it brings to mind the question, “How much do we really know?”

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the supernatural, but I must admit that it seems to be more geared toward the fellas (not recommended for children). I guess that’s why I like it. I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy. It’s a short read that’s not too complex but is actually quite profound while also being very entertaining.

This review has been posted to GoodRead. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords