Review: Mary's Son: A Tale of Christmas, by Darryl Nyznyk

Title: Mary's Son: A Tale of Christmas
Author: Darryl Nyznyk
Format: Hard cover
Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion

From Goodreads: "Mary’s Son is a modern tale of the fears and passions of youth overcome by the wonder of the real Christmas story. Eleven-year-old Sarah Stone is lonely. She lives in a mansion amidst butlers, nannies, housekeepers, and a father who is too busy for her. She is bright, beautiful, and angry at the world."


My opinion: I thought this was a very touching book, and a very cute story for kids. It was a quick read, only 170 pages, but that was plenty of time to get the point across. The events of the book take place in the days before Christmas. In the first part of the book we get to know Jared, the 13-year old street kid from the wrong side of the tracks, whose father disappeared on Christmas Eve the year before, and Sarah, the 11-year old spoiled rich girl, who lives in the mansion on the hill, who lost her mother when she was only 5 years old to a drunk driver. She has everything she could possibly want, except for any type of affection in her life. Her father is too busy to have anything to do with her, and the servants merely tolerate her. Enter Nicholas, who comes to her house to apply for the job of her "nanny", even though the job hasn't been posted yet. The housekeeper takes an instant dislike to him, but Sarah is curious about this odd little man who can make umbrellas appear out of thin air and who says he is the real Santa, and she begs her father to let him stay. This sets in motion a course that will change her life, as well as Jared's, for better or worse.


I loved the message of this book, and I especially like how Santa got his amazing powers from God and through prayer. When Nicholas meets Sarah and Jared, they are both so jaded that they don't believe in Santa at all, and they are questioning their belief in God as well. When everything comes to a head one night, Nicholas whisks the kids away to Bethlehem on the night of Jesus' birth so they can witness the miracle themselves. I think this would be a great book to discuss with your kids at Christmastime. 


In summary, I really enjoyed this book and think it has a great message, for adults and kids alike. :D

Review: City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Format: ebook
Source: I bought it

From Goodreads: "The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend. 

But nothing comes without a price. 

Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other. 

When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace. 

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. The stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels."

My opinion: The Mortal Instruments is one of my all time favorite series, and I was so excited when I heard that Cassandra Clare was continuing it with City of Fallen Angels! I knew going into it that this book told mostly Simon's story, and since I love Simon, I was okay with that. Unfortunately, it just felt like something was missing from this installment. It wasn't that the writing wasn't good - it's Cassandra Clare, for Heaven's sake! Of course it was good! But the romance that was so well written in the first 3 books was missing in this one. I love the bromance between Simon and Jace, and their back and forth bickering is what made COFA so enjoyable! But Jace and Clary are having problems, Isabelle and Maia found out that Simon was two-timing them, so they're not speaking to him, and even Magnus and Alec are at odds! I missed the romance, but it was still a very quick and easy read for me. The pacing is good, the characters are the same characters we know and love, and the action is exciting! There is a HUGE cliffhanger, too! I won't tell you what, but let me tell you that I totally did not see it coming! Don't you love when that happens?! 

I gave this book 4 stars because while I felt something was missing, it was still a very good book, and I will be waiting impatiently for the next book to come out to find out what happens next! :D

Review: Starters (Starters #1), by Lissa Price

Title: Starters (Starters #1)
Author: Lissa Price
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER 

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. 
He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . ."

My thoughts: I've read some mixed reviews on this book, but I was intrigued enough by the synopsis that I requested it from NetGalley anyway. I have to admit that I wasn't very drawn to the cover, but again, the book's description was interesting, so I was looking forward to reading it. I must say that I wasn't disappointed! I thought it was a great dystopian, with enough creepiness to keep me interested from start to finish. 

In the world that Lissa Price has invented, there has been a "Spore War", chemical warfare, that wiped out all the people who had not been inoculated. Since only the young and the old had received their inoculations when the war started, that means that all of the people between approximately 20 and 60 were gone now. Because of advancements in medicine, the Enders, as the older generation is called, can easily live to be 200 now. The only problem is, their bodies continue to age and they can't do the things that they used to be able to do.  Enter the Starters, or the younger generation, who have the youthful bodies the Enders crave. A new technology has been invented wherein the Starters can rent out their bodies to the Enlders for weeks at a time, which enables the Enders to be young again, and the Starters to earn the money they need to live. Laws are in place that prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from working so the jobs can go to the longer living Enders. Unfortunately for kids like Callie, and her little brother Tyler, with no one to take care of them they are forced to live in abandoned buildings, trying to stay one step ahead of the law, who capture unclaimed kids and put them in institutions where they are forced to work at basically hard labor until they are 18. Tyler is also sick, so that puts even more strain on Callie to try to find someplace where they can live, and money to get medical attention for Tyler. She is helped by her friend, Michael, but there's only so much he can do either. 

Callie hears about the program at Prime Destinations where kids who are attractive and physically fit can rent out their bodies to Enders for large sums of money, and although she finds the idea repulsive, she can't deny that the money would enable her to pay for a nice apartment or house for her and Tyler, and she would finally be able to buy the medicine that Tyler so desperately needs. She goes ahead and rents out her body for what she thinks is only going to be a week (but turns out to be a month) and that's when things go horribly wrong. She finds out that the Ender who wanted her body has other plans than just enjoying a youthful body for a little bit of fun. She's up to something much more dangerous, and it's up to Callie to somehow find a way to stop her, without losing her paycheck, or worse - her life. 

I really enjoyed the world building in this book. No matter how far fetched the idea that seniors would be able to "rent" a body whenever they wanted, Lissa Price finds a way to make it all believable! The characters are well written, too. Callie is a very brave and likable heroine, and you can feel her love for her little brother in everything she does. Every decision she makes is based on how it will affect Tyler, which is completely understandable in light of the fact that they are all alone, with only each other to depend on. The story is told from Callie's POV and I think that works very well here. There are also flashbacks from the years leading up to the Spore Wars that help you understand what happened, how this made Callie into the girl she is, and where she gets her strength. I will tell you that the book ends with one heck of a cliffhanger - one that I definitely did not see coming - and I totally loved it! 

I highly recommend this to fans of dystopian fiction, and I can't WAIT for the next installment of this series to come out! :D

Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Review: From Fame to Shame, by Veronica Blade

Title: From Fame to Shame
Author: Veronica Blade
Format: ebook
Source: author, in exchange for my honest opinion

From Goodreads: "When good-girl Maddie switches places with her famous bad-girl twin Jackie, she has some pretty high stilettos to fill.

Despite the danger of tabloid drama if their identity swap is discovered, Maddie has to save her sister's butt. When Jackie’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a rekindled spark for “Jackie,” his deep gray eyes and sweet kisses make Maddie's heart thumpety thump. But dating the guy who dumped her sister is a no-no. Too bad Dallas isn’t used to girls saying no. What will happen when he discovers Maddie’s deception? "

I've read everything Veronica Blade has written, and I'm a huge fan of hers, so it probably will not come as a surprise that I absolutely LOVED this book! It is without a doubt her best work to date! And that's saying a lot because I have really enjoyed all of her stories!

In this book, Maddie and Jackie are 18 year old twins but they couldn't be more different. Maddie is the small town girl who lives at home with her parents, works at their jewelry store, and prefers staying home and reading a good bok to going out at night, and Jackie is her polar opposite - an actress who loves the spotlight and lives in Hollywood, where she loves to go out, party, and see and be seen. She adores the attention, until the tabloids start to attack her right when she is up for a part in a serious movie, which she fears will scare the producers off. All of the pressure starts to get to her and she just needs a break for a week or so, so she calls her sister, Maddie, to step in and impersonate her at a few publicity appearances. Maddie is very hesitant, but when she sees how much Jackie needs the break, she finally agrees to do it, against her better judgment. Jackie lives in an apartment building right across the hall from her ex-boyfriend, mega-hottie Dallas, also an actor, who just happens to be the guy Maddie has had a huge crush on for years! As Maddie tries to "be" Jackie, she and Dallas connect on a level he and Jackie never did, but she knows that she cannot tell him the truth about who she is without possibly ruining Jackie's life. 

When I agreed to read this book, I told the author it would probably take me a few days since I was a bit behind on my reviews, and I would get back to her when I had the chance to read it. Lo and behold, I read it that very night and immediately contacted her to tell her how great it was! The characters were likable and relatable, and it was really great to see how much Maddie grew through the course of the book, gaining self-confidence and coming out of her shell a bit. Jackie and Maddie got along great, which I really liked since usually in stories with twins who are so different from one another, one is really nice while the other is either selfish or mean, or something along those lines. Dallas was definitely swoon-worthy!! One of my favorite lines from the book describes him like this: "Damn, he smelled good. A little bit musky and a whole lot of yum." Spot on!

In summary, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all lovers of YA contemporary fiction, and it is going on my list of favorite books of 2012! I will be waiting anxiously for the sequel, From Couture to Cut-Offs, which will tell Jackie's story! :D

Clarie Reads is having a 250 follower giveaway! Check it out!

Claire Reads blog has reached an awesome milestone, 250 followers, and is having a huge giveaway to celebrate!! In fact, since she has passed the 300 mark now, she is adding another winner to the mix, with another one for every 50 followers that she gets during the run of the giveaway! So head on over there, check it out, and if you like what you see, follow her and get in on the giveaway fun :D

Click HERE to enter!!

Check out this new trailer for Elemental by Emily White!!!

Elemental, Emily White’s taut YA sci-fi thriller debut (Spencer Hill Press, May 2012) confronts many of our greatest fears… darkness, loneliness and the power within each of us to become either the hero or villain in the plotline of our life. Ella, who has been held prisoner aboard a starship since she was a young child, must discover whether she will be the prophesied Destructor… or if she will, instead, be destroyed.

Spencer Hill Press has created a dynamic and innovative trailer for Elemental, using various forms of media including video clips, an actress portraying the book’s protagonist, and an exciting soundtrack.

The video will premier across the internet and on youtube on Monday, March 19^th, beginning at 12:01 am EST. And without further ado, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKI-5OTN3-8&feature=youtu.be 

The song is SO gorgeous, as is the boy with the green, green eyes :) So what are you waiting for? Go check it out and then let me know what YOU think of it!

Review: Caller ID, by Rachelle J. Christensen

Title: Caller ID
Author: Rachelle J. Christensen
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "When twenty-three-year-old Courtney Beckham is abducted near her home, the search turns up more than just a kidnapping crime. FBI agent Jason Edwards investigates the ten-million-dollar ransom and stumbles upon something he wasn't meant to find. When Courtney catches a glimpse of the caller ID in her kidnapper's home, what she sees turns her world upside down."

 When I requested this book I didn't realize that it was the second book, and that one of the characters from the first book was in the second book, but it works fine as a standalone so don't let that stop you from reading it. I thought this was a good mystery/thriller with likable characters and a good plot. There was a lot of action in the story and it moved along at a good pace. The writing was also very easy to read, as evidenced by the fact that I read it in one day! 


Courtney comes across to people as a shallow little rich girl, 23 years old and sowing her oats during her college years before she settles down in the future. When she comes upon a secret hidden in the woods near her home one day while out horseback riding, her problems have only just begun. She is kidnapped and terrorized, but she never gives up trying to escape. It turns out there's a lot more to her than meets the eye! There were a lot of twists and turns to this story, enough to keep you guessing most of the time. The FBI is called in and one of the agents, Jason, figures out that Courtney isn't just the spoiled girl she appears to be, and he makes it his personal mission to find her. 


I was very happy with most of the book, although at the end there is a big twist that I just didn't feel was believable. It kind of threw me off and took away some of my enjoyment of the story. Other than that, though, I can definitely recommend this book to anybody who loves a good mystery/thriller, and I will be going back to read the first book Rachelle Christensen wrote, Wrong Number :D