My thoughts on Undone Deeds

I finished the latest Connor Grey novel Undone Deeds by Mark del Franco tonight.  And I loved it though I'm still trying to come to terms with the ending.  So many questions were answered and there was a definite feeling of finality to Connor's story.

And that's the part that I'm having trouble with.  I love Connor and I love his world.  And I'm not ready to be done with him or it.  According to what Mark posted on his blog, there could be more books set in the Convergent World, but if there is, will those books be more of Connor's story or be told from the point of view of someone else?

There is already another series set in the same world, but starring a different set of characters.  I've read the two books in that series and while the stories are good and the characters are interesting, I prefer Connor and his story and characters.

So I'm left with a feeling of satisfaction overall, but it's tempered by the knowledge that this might be the last Connor Grey book.  I really hope it's not.

5 of 5 stars ... even if this isn't a proper review.

Thoughts about "My Soul to Take"

Instead of writing an actual review (because I basically suck at them) I decided to go with just putting down some thoughts I had while re-reading My Soul to Take.

• It was very interesting to go back and see Kaylee and Nash's story from the very beginning knowing what I know about how their relationship changes over the course of the books.  I found myself questioning everything Nash did or said, trying to find hidden meaning or some indication of his addictive nature.  
• I'd forgotten just how snarky Tod is in this book.  I remember thinking he was a cool minor character during my first read, but I was definitely all about Nash then.  
• Knowing what I now know about Nash and Tod and their relationships with Kaylee, colored how I looked at each of them.  This is not a bad thing, but I almost wish that I'd re-read My Soul to Take before Nash got addicted to frost and before the events that happened in If I Die. Because I will never again be able to read about Kaylee and Nash's relationship with the innocence of that first read.  
• I remember how much I loved Nash and how he was the only person who was truthful with Kaylee.  And how much he loved her and would have done anything for her.  It almost killed me to remember how horrible he was to her when he was addicted to frost.  
• I've re-read book series before (too many to count) and I don't remember the consequences of each character's decisions in later books in the series having such a profound effect on how I felt when re-reading the first book.
• Even knowing what what happens in later books affecting how I saw the characters didn't make me love this book any less the second time around.

And ... that's all I can think of right now.  (Note to self: write this post sooner than three weeks after finishing the book!)

Change of plans

Yeah, so, as it turns out, I suck at writing reviews.  I've tried.  I really have.  But every review I've tried to write comes out sounding ... well, less than stellar.  Even the ones where I absolutely, positively loved the book *THIS* much (pretend I'm holding my arms out as far as they can go here).  I don't know why this is.  I can be articulate when I want to be.  So why not when I want to tell people how awesome (or not awesome) a book is?  I dunno.  It's one of life's mysteries.  And I'm done beating myself up about it.  After all, there are a TON of book blogs out there so I'm just going to stick with what I do best:  random musings.

Yep, I've decided to just start writing down my thoughts on books.  Which is kind of like a review, but much more informal.  Should be easier, right?  Right.  And if my random musings happen to be incoherent, well, that's the beauty of randomness.  It doesn't have to make sense.  (Just go with me here, k?)

Since I'm participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge, I thought that I'd tackle My Soul to Take for my first attempt at a random musing.  Hopefully I'll be able to get something written up this weekend.  Why not now, you ask?  Well, because it's late and I need my beauty rest, that's why.  And I need time to get my thoughts in order.  Er, I mean, time to think about what I want to randomly muse about.

Teaser Tuesdays: Enclave

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!

"Unlike the others, this place had an air of majesty, even in its disrepair.  I could tell great things had happened here."


p. 185
Enclave, Ann Aguirre


I chose these two sentences because of what they're describing: a library.  Isn't that a great way to describe a library?  Yeah, I thought so too!  

Twas a good mail day today

You know how when you order something online but it doesn't come for a while so you sort of forget about it?  I mean, you remember that you ordered something but it's not at the forefront of your mind anymore because it's been a while since you placed the order?


Well today my order finally came:

• Midnight Organ Flight by Frightened Rabbit
• Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters by The Twilight Sad
• Aspect of Crow trilogy by Jeri Smith-Ready

SO excited!!  Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad are my new favorite bands and I can't wait to listen to these new (to me) albums.  (The Twilight Sad has a new (to everyone) album coming out in February two days before my birthday so I think it'll be a happy birthday to me present. So I'll have more new music from them to enjoy!!)  I could listen to both bands all day long, every day and not get tired it.  (Along with Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More. I love that album too!)

AND, the Aspect of Crow trilogy? I've heard such good things about these books and since I pretty much love everything that Jeri writes, I can't wait to get started on the series.  I have no doubts that I will love this series as much as I do her WVMP and SHADE series.  

Tonight though I am continuing my re-read of Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Take, which is the first book in her Soul Screamers series (well, technically, My Soul to Lose is the first book, but it's more of a prequel novella to the series ... meaning you don't have to read it, but it does provide some insight into Kaylee's character).  I'm participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge hosted by Rachel Clarke at Fiktshun and having just finished Ashfall by Mike Mullin I needed something a bit lighter.  Not that a story about teens dying is necessarily lighter, but it's not as realistic as Ashfall.  

Anyway ... I've been enjoying the re-read so far except that it's made me remember just how much I loved Nash and knowing what's in store for him and Kaylee makes me sad.  

Teaser Tuesdays: Ashfall

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!

"The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn't taken our humanity.  No, we'd given that up on our own."


p. 344
Ashfall, by Mike Mullin

Teaser Tuesdays: Every Other Day

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!

"I transferred to Heritage a few weeks ago.  When I'm not failing history tests, I spend my time as an insurgent superhero who lives in fear of being hunted down by monsters or bureaucrats."
Every Other Day, pg 16