Book Review- In A Heartbeat

I just finished reading In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth for an Around The World tour.

From Goodreads.com:

A touching novel of last regrets and second chances in the tradition of Lurlene McDaniel and Gabrielle Zevin.

When a small mistake costs sixteen-year-old Eagan her life during a figure-skating competition, she leaves many things unreconciled, including her troubled relationship with her mother. From her vantage point in the afterlife, Eagan reflects back on her memories, and what she could have done differently, through her still-beating heart.

When fourteen-year-old Amelia learns she will be getting a heart transplant, her fear and guilt battle with her joy at this new chance at life. And afterwards when she starts to feel different — dreaming about figure skating, craving grape candy —her need to learn about her donor leads her to discover and explore Eagan’s life,meeting her grieving loved ones and trying to bring the closure they all need to move on.

Told in alternating viewpoints, In a Heartbeat tells the emotional and compelling story of two girls sharing one heart.
 
Growing up I always loved reading stories by Lurlene McDaniel about teens with terminal illnesses or health problems.  They always pulled at my heartstrings and made me cry.  So when I read the summary of In A Heartbeat and saw that it was about teens and organ donations, I jumped at the chance to read it.
 
While I enjoyed the characters, I didn't really connect with them.  I feel that Eagan was a better written character.  We get to know her through flashbacks in her memories.  And her story is wrapped up at the end.  But I don't feel like we really get to know Amelia except that she was sick and she loved to draw horses.  And it feels like her story suddenly stops at the end.  The book was relatively short--only 195 pages.  I feel that there could have been more from Amelia's point of view to connect with her more.
 
That being said, the idea for the plot is original (to me at least).  I loved the theme of organ donation and that the transplant recipients might have characteristics from the donor's personality after the surgery.  It's such an interesting idea and it really makes you think!
 
I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Challenge: E
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 13
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 12
TwentyTen Reading Challenge: Who Are You Again? #1
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 11
 
*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- Alice I Have Been

I just finished reading Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin for a Pump Up Your Book Promotions Virtual Book Tour.

ABOUT ALICE I HAVE BEEN

Few works of literature are as universally beloved as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit hole–and the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling.

But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?

Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.

That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.

For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.

A love story and a literary mystery, Alice I Have Been brilliantly blends fact and fiction to capture the passionate spirit of a woman who was truly worthy of her fictional alter ego, in a world as captivating as the Wonderland only she could inspire.

First of all, let me say that the only thing I know about Alice in Wonderland is from Disney (and while I own the Disney movie, I haven't seen it yet.  I am also looking forward to the new movie coming out soon).  That said, who doesn't love the idea of Alice, and I wanted to read more about her. 

Melanie Benjamin wrote a fascinating historical fiction novel about the life of Alice Liddell, the little girl who inspired the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland story by Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson).  And while I found that the mysterious relationship between the Alice and Mr. Dodgson bothered me, I enjoyed the rest of the story.  I especially enjoyed the part of her life when she was in her young twenties and I could feel her pain about the way that part of her life turned out.

 I am glad that Melanie Benjamin wrote author's notes at the back of the book to let us know what was real and what she took liberties with.  If you like historical fiction and/or are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, then this book would be right up your alley!

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
A to Z Challenge: B
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 9
TwentyTen Reading Challenge: Bad Blogger's #2
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 8

ABOUT MELANIE BENJAMIN

Melanie Benjamin lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons, where she is working on her next historical novel. Visit her website at www.melaniebenjamin.com.





View more stops on the blog tour here.




FTC Disclosure: I was sent this book a part of Pump Up Your Book Promotions for a honest review.

Contests- January 18- January 25

The Book Butterfly is giving away a copy of Darklight by Lesley Livingston.  The contest ends on February 15.

Book Review- Eyes Like Stars

I just finished reading Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev.

From Goodreads.com:

 Enter Stage Right

All her world's a stage.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She is not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but has no lines of her own.
Until now.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every place ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.


Open Curtain
 
I have read so many wonderful reviews of this book and was so looking forward to reading it.  Unfortunately, this book just didn't do it for me.  And I hate that!  I loved the idea of the story--all about a theatre and the characters that are bound to it.  I loved the scene changes and all the theatre terminology.  But there was just something about the story that didn't draw me in. 
 
I couldn't connect or feel any warmth from Beatrice and maybe that's why I didn't really get into it.  I did however absoutely love the fairies, especially the girl one named Peaseblossom.  The fairies were just what I always picture in my head--tiny little things with wings that are fiesty and full of fun.  And the fairies in this story were just that! 
 
The ending of the story definitely surprised me.  I had no clue who Beatrice's mother was!  The ending is definitely a cliffhanger.  I want to know who Beatrice's father is and I want to know what happened to Nate.  So while I can't rave about this book, I will be picking up the sequel, Perchance to Dream, when it comes out in May.
 
I gave this book a rating of 3/5.
 
This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 12 
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 11
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 10
*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.

Wednesday Wordle- January 20, 2010

Here is a screen shot of my Wordle for the week (Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from words that is seen on my blog)

Waiting on Wednesday- January 20, 2010

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Silver Borne
by Patricia Briggs
Publication Release Date: March 30, 2010

From Goodreads.com:

Being a mechanic is hard work. Mercy Thompson, for instance, just spent the last couple of months trying to evade the murderous queen of the local vampire seethe, and now the leader of the werewolf pack - who's maybe-more-than-just-a-friend - has asked for her help. A book of fae secrets has come to light and they're all about to find out how implacable - and dangerous - the fae can be. OK, so maybe her troubles have nothing to do with the job. But she sure could use a holiday ...

Teaser Tuesday- January 19, 2010

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

My two teasers:

" ' There was a notice on th' Call Board, an' they're all gatherin'.  Ahoy.' "

~pg 119, Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Mailbox Monday- January 18, 2010

Mailbox Monday: Here's what came in my mailbox this week:



MONDAY

Divine By Mistake- P.C Cast--PaperbackSwap

The Dust of 100 Dogs- A.S. King--Bookmooch

The Demon’s Lexicon- Sarah Rees Brennan--Bookmooch

Stargazer- Claudia Gray--Bookmooch

Shadowland- Alyson Noel--bought









TUESDAY

Ghost Huntress 2: The Guidance- Marley Gibson--Bookmooch

Playing With Fire- Gena Showalter—PaperbackSwap

Gone- Michael Grant--PaperbackSwap









WEDNESDAY

Beautiful People- Wendy Holden--for review from publisher

My Own Personal Soap Opera- Libby Malin--for review from publisher









THURSDAY

Me and My Shadow (Silver Dragons #3)- Katie MacAlister--PaperbackSwap









FRIDAY

A Touch of Dead (The Complete Stories)- Charlaine Harris--bought









SATURDAY

Winter Garden- Kristin Hannah--from publisher

Kiss & Hell- Dakota Cassidy--PaperbackSwap

How To Be Famous- Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt--After Christmas Elephant Game

Kiss of Life- Daniel Waters--traded with friend

Book Review- The Awakening

I stayed up late last night to finish reading The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong.

From Goodreads.com:

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

Another great book by Kelley Armstrong!  This book was just as intriguing as the first one!  I felt that we got to know a lot of the characters like Simon and Derek and Tori better.  We got to know more about their pasts, who they are, and what their superpowers are.  And I still really like Derek.  I think there is something strangley endearing about him.

The ending of this book is another cliffhanger.  I can't wait until The Reckoning comes out in April to find out what happens next!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 11
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 10

*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.

Contests- January 11- January 18

Book-lover Carol is giving away the winner's choice of one book from The Book Depository (under $20).  The contest ends on January 25.  She is also giving away a copy of Wish by Alexandra Bullen.  Enter here.

Shut Up!  I'm Reading is giving away book prizes to 4 winners!  The contest ends on February 14.

La Femme Readers is giving away a winner's choice of new book out in 2010 under $25 and there will be 2 winners!  The contest ends on February 15.
~She is also giving away a copy of Darklight by Lesley Livingston.  Enter here by February 10.

Juiciliciousss Reviews is giving away 4 prize packs to 4 winners.  The contest ends on February 14.

Bree Despain is having a contest to celebrate her birthday!  There will be three winners: Grand Prize: Win 2 pieces of TDD jewelry + a YA book of your choice, 2nd prize: Win 2 pieces of TDD jewelry, 3rd prize: Win 1 piece of TDD jewelry.  Check out the TDD jewelry here.  The contest ends on January 16.

Drey's Library is giving away a copy of Deadtown by Nancy Holzner.  The contest ends on January 28.

Fantastic Book Reviews is having a HUGE 700 follower contest where 3 winners will win his/her choice from a long list of books!  The contest ends on January 29.

Melanie's Musings is having a Beauty and the Beast giveaway where she is giving away, a copy of Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, a DVD of Belle and The Beast, and a copy of Beastly by Alex Flinn.  The contest ends on February 15.

Tattooed Books is giving away a "soul" necklace from an Etsy seller to celebrate Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamer Series.  The contest ends on January 28.