12 May 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

If you're a mom, or a mom-to-be, I wish you a happy mother's day. Thank you for all you do for your kids, and the kids of others. Have a nice day. :)

Willow Reads: Fall of Night (Morganville Vampires #14) by Rachel Caine

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble...

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. 

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. 

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make.


Title: Fall of Night (Morganville Vampires #14)
Author: Rachel Caine
Page Count: 352 Pages
Book website: http://morganvilletexas.com
Published: May 7, 2013
Source: LOVE MORGANVILLLLE <3

Spoilers Ahead

No matter what mood I'm in, I can always settle for a new Morganville book. I'm sad that we're almost to the end of the series. This is probably one of my top five favorite series- in a list that includes Harry Potter (my top favorite) and Vampire Academy (probably my second favorite tied with Morganville). But this one was different than the previous 13. This book really challenged whether my favorite couple- Claire and Shane- would ever be back together again. So of course it made me sad, but the book didn't lack anything any other book in this series promised. 

The book starts out with Claire leaving the Glass house before anyone wakes up- she's going to MIT to study and her parents are meeting her at the outskirts of the town. Myrnin is there and he says goodbye, but eventually Shane and crew show up. Admittedly this part made me cry because Shane's trying to convince Claire not to go and I'm reading the book... Just wishing with all my heart that he would just go with her or she'd just decide not to go. But, after the last book, I can understand why she wants to go. Not only does she want to study and grow, Shane honestly believed that Claire and Michael were doing stuff behind his and Eve's backs. Honestly? So Claire wants to show Shane that this was serious and that he can't just lack that faith in her and in their relationship.

I am happy that she promised that she'll keep her promise to marry him someday. THAT BETTER HAPPEN, RACHEL CAINE! We need some wedding happening, and some married life. So you better be planning that, yo. But anyway, this book was mostly sad for me as a huge Claire/Shane shipper. 

When she moves away from Morganville, Claire moves in with Elizabeth, a character that hasn't been mentioned since the first few books of the series. Liz doesn't go to MIT, but she goes to a school somewhere around there, so they decide to become housemates. Surprisingly, Liz has changed a lot since Claire left her hometown, and is nothing like she used to be in high school. Claire quickly grows to hate living under the same roof, but doesn't want to leave Liz short on rent money... So she just decides to stay and wait it out. 

Well then a whole bunch of stuff happens. Shane follows Claire to MIT, but doesn't let her know that she's there. He ends up getting a job at a bar, and the entire time I was dreading when she'd find out. He couldn't stay a few towns over? I guess it's a good thing later, but when someone's mad at you and just needs space... You don't get a job close to where that person lives. And let's see.. Liz has a stalker ex boyfriend. And there were some other times when I was reduced to tears- having to do with Myrnin mostly. But in the end... The ending was the worst part. If you do not want to know how this book ends- stop reading. Now. After this paragraph break, there's going to be a huge spoiler. And I'm still not sure what to make of it. Ready?

There's a bit in the book where Eve and Michael also travel, Oliver and Myrnin make their way in, and then there's a new character who comes back to Morganville. So Claire and crew get back to Morganville, with Hannah Moses waiting on them. For some reason, she has the humans handcuffed and... All of a sudden... They shoot the vampires with wooden arrows. 

Morganville has been completely taken over by humans. 

Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of that one either. Guess we get to wait until the next book, which is due out in November. Which, to remind some of you... is also the final book of the series. This has me sad, this book better be as big as four of the regular ones. And then I'll still want more. Hopefully Rachel Caine writes this one and is like "NO. It's not done! 20 MORE BOOKS!" 

I doubt that though. Maybe another 10? ;) Oh well.

Happy Reading!

Willow Reads: Gone by Michael Grant

In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.

Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents--unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers--that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else.


Title: Gone (Gone #1)
Author: Michael Grant
Page Count: 558 pages
Book Website: http://themichaelgrant.com/gone/
Published: June 24, 2008
Source: Re-read

Spoilers Ahead- Beware. :)

I first picked this book up when I was 16 years old and couldn't put it down. At the time, this book was a stand-alone, and I remember finishing it and being so mad that there wasn't a new one out. Then I moved on to other books and later found out it had been turned into a six-book series. So, I'm reading  it all and I had to re-establish the beginning of the story. I had to remember everything before I could move on, right?

Gone is set in Perdido Beach, California. One day in this fictional town, everyone over the age of 15 just disappears... Teachers, parents, grandparents. And right along with them, phone reception, internet access, and television broadcast is cut off. So, of course, kids are scared and all literal hell breaks loose. Kids are scared, hungry, and looking for someone to ensure that they'll be ok.. And that their parents will be back soon. Because they have to come back, right?

Enter Sam Temple, also known as School Bus Sam after he saved an entire bus full of classmates when the driver went into a heart attack- by taking control of the bus and calling the police on the driver's phone. After the event cooled down, Sam backed away from the attention, because he really didn't like it. After the adults disappear, though, kids naturally flock to him with their questions... Obviously he's just as confused as they are and doesn't know what to do.

Eventually bullies take over Perdido Beach... Which they have now nicknamed as the FAYZ- Fallout Valley Youth Zone- and there's a general struggle throughout the book about who should lead and who does what. Obviously, something has to be done- food perishes, and what are they going to do? Especially after they find a glass wall surrounding the town that burns at the smallest touch and won't break when someone throws something at it. And, like any other book that I like reading, there's a little romance in there.

I find this book so interesting because it's an idea of what would happen in this situation. Did I enjoy this book as much as the first time around? No, I think that I've read better written books. But I still want to know what's happening, and I'm well into the second book by this point. :) It's not much of a read if you like the classics, but if you like bigger books that don't require much thought... This is a good read for you.

Happy Reading!

Template by:

Free Blog Templates