Sinful Book Reviews

Let me go ahead and say that there will be spoilers. I mean, honestly it’s pretty difficult to review manga without spoilers. Anyway, this is just a warning. Since I’m so far into the series these last review will probably be packed with spoilers.

We learn the story of Akito’s father and mother, and how they met. We’ve met Ren before, and it’s obvious that they hate each other. I think they’re both jealous of the how much attention the other got from Akito’s father. Anyway, whatever it is that Ren is trying to steal, it has something to do with her late husband. Later in the volume, she shows up in Akito’s room with a knife demanding the box Akito holds so dear, but there’s nothing in it. We learn about her father’s death and why she holds onto the box. Some violence ensues and people get stabbed. It’s pretty intense. I’m impressed by the amount of crazy shit Takaya writes into this volume.

Meanwhile, the end is obviously near. Another curse has been broken. Akito realizes that things are beginning to unravel. Momiji is free, and he realizes that it’s not all good. After and entire life of being who he is, suddenly part of him is ripped away and it leaves him feeling kind of lonely. Still, he’s free to do what he likes with his life. Just a side note, I can’t believe how much he’s grown. All I can think of is that crazy bouncy little boy from the anime. He’s grown into such a man. It’s kind of weird. Getting back to the plot… Akito begs him not abandon her (Now that I know Akito is a woman, I refuse to refer to her otherwise). It’s time for a Akito to face what’s happening and even she realizes that.

Kyo confronts Tohru about her feelings for him, which was a huge surprise to me. Then, he tells her of his involvement in her mother’s death. He says he could have saved her, but he didn’t. It’s a pretty emotional and depressing story, so of course we’re left hanging until the next volume. Damn you, Takaya!

I decided after reading Wintergirls and Speak that I wanted to read all of Laurie Halse Anderson’s books. So I’ve been making my way through them. I plan to pick up Catalyst when I go back to the library. I was a little nervous about reading this one. I thought I might not be as interested in it since it’s a suject matter I wouldn’t normally read about. However, I found it absolutely captivating. I just couldn’t stop listening. I also learned a lot. I’ll go ahead and be honest. I didn’t know anything about the yellow fever epidemic before I read this. This book has dynamic characters, an enthralling plot, and a lot of historical information. It’s official. Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the best young adult novelists of our time.

Watching Mattie develop throughout this book was a wonderful experience. In the beginning, we meet this stubborn, rather selfish girl with big dreams. By the end of the book she has transformed into a strong woman who knows how to make those dreams a reality and take care of those in need. I was so thrilled to watch her grow with each experience she faced during the epidemic. The plot was gripping and pretty fast-paced. There was a new learning experience for Mattie around each corner, it seemed. But her trials make her a stronger person. It’s a truly amazing book with a really great message.

Anderson includes some appendices about the epidemic and the history of it. She points out some of the factual things that occur in the story. It’s very interesting, so if you read this, don’t skip that part. Emily Bergl was the perfect Mattie. She was very convincing and engaging. That’s all I ask of my audio books!

Shigure talks to Tohru about the curse and saving Kyo. They kind of get into it because Shigure is so blunt about Kyo’s fate and how the rest of the Zodiac feel about him. He says he’s not trying to be mean, which I don’t think he is. He’s just trying to tell her not to give up. I mean, I don’t think he really cares about Kyo. He just wants the curse to break. I’m also guessing his feelings about Akito haven’t changed very much. He probably wants Kureno out of the way.

Kyo runs into Tohru’s grandfather, who tells him he thinks Tohru acts like her father because some old lady told her they were nothing alike when he died. This turns out to be true. She talks like her father because she was afraid her mother would leave her and to be with her father when she was a little girl. She feels horrible for being so selfish, but Kyo is there to comfort her. Both of them really don’t want to think about the future. They want to be together. It’s really sweet and sad at the same time.

Yuki runs into someone from Ayame’s past. He pays his brother a visit and we learn that Mine is actually Ayame’s girlfriend. So cute! Ayame tells a relatively serious story about love and rejection. I’m glad he and Yuki get along so much better now. Later, Yuki still pursues Machi by bringing her a gift. He also sort of asks her out, but she bolts. Like Kakeru said, they’re way too spacy. It will take forever for them to get together. Speaking of Kakeru, there’s also a little chapter at the end about him and his girlfriend (whose father also died in the accident that killed Tohru’s mother). It’s kind of a filler chapter, except I think it gives Yuki the kick he needs to try a little harder with Machi. We’ll see in the next volume, I suppose!

I realize I’m breezing through these, but I’m just so invested in the story right now. I can’t help myself. I know I’ll be really sad when I’m finished.

Yuki and Machi are totally precious. I was hoping he would find someone since Tohru is so obviously attached to Kyo. He finds out that Machi can’t handle perfection. That’s why she’s been trashing rooms and messing things up. The cutest part is when they’re sitting next to each other in a meeting and someone sets down a brand new box of chalk. She looks at it nervously and he just reaches over and breaks a piece to ease her mind. It’s so sweet!

The chapter with Motoko is short, but cute. She doesn’t try to make him love her. She just tells him she’s glad she met him and hopes he’ll have a good life.

The rest of the volume is exactly the kind of thing I love. Craziness. Rin has disappeared and no one can find her. Come to find out, Akito is behind it. Some stuff went down and caused Akito to hurt Rin. I’m not going to go into details about it. The important thing is that Haru finds out about it and he is pissed. I have to show you the face because it’s the best pissed off face I’ve ever seen.

I was so pumped! I couldn’t wait for someone to finally stand up to Akito. He doesn’t get very far because others intervene in his mission to beat Akito’s face in. I’m not sure things are resolved with that struggle though. Something bad is bound to happen between Akito and one of the zodiac eventually.

Later, in a discussion about breaking the curse Tohru kind of drops the bomb that she’s in love with Kyo. Well, she makes it obvious that she’s concerned about him, which is the same thing. Shigure thinks the curse will break eventually, but that’s not enough to save Kyo so we’re back at square one: still searching for a way that they can be together. I’m so excited about where this series is going right now. More, please!

Things got really interesting in this one. Kureno has a chat with Tohru about why he can’t see Arisa. There are some interesting reasons that he has to stay by Akito’s side. I was like, “whoa.” I’ve really liked this manga series until now, but things just got really crazy. Now, I’m very impatient to read the rest. He lets Shigure in on the secret (which is way too big of a spoiler for me to reveal in a review). We find out that there is some special relationship with Shigure and Akito. Allow me a short tangent to talk about how much of a manipulative bastard Shigure is. It’s weird though because I kind of like him. I always liked him in the beginning because I thought he was funny, but he can be pretty dark sometimes. This volume definitely reveals his darker side.

Poor Tohru is trying desperately to find the cure to the curse. She’s so in love with Kyo and she wants to save him from his fate, but she can’t seem to find the answer. I’m not going to lie. I’m ready for those two to get together already. They’ve been making goo-goo eyes at each other since the series started. It’s time to admit they feel about each other.

I’m really glad the series is getting more intense. I like it when things are exciting, and the next volume is even better!

Ok, this book is precious. I don’t think I’ve ever read a Christmas book before. I know I’ve read books that I associate with winter, but never one that really focused on Christmas. I picked this one up because I love John Green. I’m so glad because it was the perfect little book to get me in the Christmas spirit.

I was impressed by Maureen Johnson’s story. It was probably my favorite of the three. I thought she had a great sense of humor and I liked her characters. Jubilee was just awesome. I may have to check out some of her books now. John Green didn’t disappoint. His characters were hilarious, of course. I love the way he deals with romance. It’s so much more realistic than many authors. He just knows what he’s doing when it comes to writing teen characters. His story was definitely the funniest of the three. Lauren Myracle wrote a cute story, but I didn’t get into it the way I did the other two. I thought she had a good message, but it was a tad too cheesy for me at the end. I also just couldn’t get into Addie. I don’t really feel compelled to read anything else by Myracle.

If you want some cute and funny stories to get you into the Christmas spirit, you should pick this book up. It’s a fun read.

I tried to read the print version of this book three times before I picked up an audiobook. It was the best decision I could have made. I was afraid I’d never be able to make it through this book. Though I could have done without some of the details Dickens included, that was never why couldn’t finish it. I had the worst time understanding the speech of the people in the book. Since Dickens wrote in dialect, I had a hard time decoding what they were saying, especially Magwitch. This audiobook fixed that problem. Frank Muller reads the story perfectly. I’m positive I would have missed some of the intended humor without his expression. I’m an immediate fan of him. He brought this intimidating book to life for me.

I find it amazing that classic books like this are full of characters with such tragic flaws. I love and hate the characters all at once. Miss Havisham is such a horrid woman, until she finally shows Pip her true affection for him. Estella is so cold until she has a hard life. Suddenly, she gains some semblance of a heart. Pip, who was a kind little boy, gains wealth and becomes a total snob. He atones for his sins, but it’s just amazing what money, love, and hate can do. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story about his journey.

One thing I liked about this audiobook was it’s inclusion of the “other ending” Dickens wrote. I think I liked it a little better than the one he published. It just fit the story a little better to me. We all love happy endings. They’re appropriate for some books. But they’re not really necessary in all books. This book worked well either way, but I particularly liked the not-as-happy ending.

I was reading Shelf Awareness the other day, and there was a link that coupled books with the best directors to bring them to screen. They coupled this book with Tim Burton. I have to say, that’s the perfect decision. I would kill to see this done by him. He has such a good eye for period pieces and the gritty look of London. I can only imagine how perfect his Miss Havisham would look.

I was so excited to see how Kyoko met Tohru’s father. It was a really great story. It was so sad when he died. It’s one of the saddest moments in the series so far.

Things are progressing slowly with Machi and Yuki. It’s obvious they think about each other a lot. I can’t wait for more of them. I think they would be cute. They both need to be needed, and they could be that for each other.

Yuki decides to go to the main house for New Year’s Eve and spends some time with Akito. He’s finally coping with his past. Akito doesn’t like that too much and has one of his angry outburts. It doesn’t affect Yuki too much though. He seems fine.

This was a good one. Half of it was about Tohru’s mom and dad, and the other half felt like a segue into the next volume. I was kind of left hanging on every point.

We get a look at Yuki’s childhood relationship with Akito. We also see his first run-in with Kyo. Young Kyo was obviously bitter about the rat’s part in the legend and takes it out on Yuki. I think Kyo was unaware of everything Yuki was going through, or he might not have been so mean to him. We see more of his ice queen mother. When Yuki finally makes friends, there’s an incident and all their memories are wiped. We also finally see Yuki meet Tohru as a boy. The point is, Yuki was under a lot of pressure when he was a little boy and it left him really damaged. He has a talk with the VP of the student council about Tohru, and how much being near her has done for him. At the end of the volume, he finds Machi in a bad situation and overhears her talking about him. This peaks his interest in her and I’m hoping for something to happen there.

The play turns into a disaster of no one following their lines, but it’s pretty funny. Toward the end it mirrors Kyo’s life and Tohru has an outburst that nearly outs her knowledge of his future. I’m glad to see he’s not as hard-headed as he seems sometimes. He begins to wonder about her feelings for him. But of course, he’s Kyo and he can’t give himself too much hope. That would just be too uncharacteristic. The one thing in this volume I find a little confusing is relationship with Yuki. I can’t tell if Yuki is trying to be nice or malicious. He’s messing with him though, and Kyo is not having it. I guess we’ll see where that goes later.

It’s amazing how tragedy always makes for a good book. I guess those of us who spend half our lives with our nose in a book want to feel something when we read. I spent a long time reading nothing but paranormal fiction, usually of the teen variety. This year has been one of discovery for me, as far as books go. I’ve really discovered my favorite genre, my favorite writing style, and my favorite kind of characters. I’m beginning to understand why my mother won’t read a book if she doesn’t grab her right from the start. There’s nothing like that feeling of knowing you’ve found something really great before you’ve even finished the first chapter. This is one of those books for me. I want to read it all over again.

Lennie is another one of those characters I can relate to. It’s actually kind of freaky this time. Here’s a list of things we have in common: our favorite book is Wuthering Heights, we both played clarinet in high school (though it sounds like she’s a lot better than I was), we’re both introverts who have trouble realizing our potential, we’re both pros at screwing things up. I don’t think I’ve related to character this much… well, ever. She feels so real to me it’s freaky. Toby was the same way, very real and melancholy. I can understand how their combined pain caused them to do the things they did. Joe felt a little more like a dream, but maybe it’s because he felt like a dream to her. It didn’t make me love his character any less, and I did find some realistic tendencies in him toward the end. He can be very stubborn. He and Lennie will make you want to fall in love, for the first time or all over again.

When I’m reading a book I love with character I love, I feel very unsettled when things are going wrong. Though I’m incredibly uncomfortable with the events in the book, I take the feeling as a good sign. It means I care. The author has written characters I can care about. I want the best for them and I squirm with every mistake they make. I may spend a good chunk of the book worrying, but it’s that much better if or when things are resolved.

Nelson is great. She has a quirky sense of humor that I ate up. I loved Gram and Big. They were hilarious, but not simple. It’s just good character writing when someone can write two quirky comic relief character, but still give them just as much depth as all the others. She gives this book the perfect pace and never overwhelms the reader with the shifts from sad to happy or vice versa. I also really enjoyed Julia Whelan’s narration. She was very expressive. I really believed I was listening to Lennie speaking, not someone reading a book. It’s an excellent audio book.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I enjoyed it and I’m eager for the next one. That being said, it took me a while to get into it. When I started the book, I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it. I didn’t get truly interested until the eight or ninth disc (of ten). Until then, I was just trying to finish what I started. I’m so glad it got interesting at the end.

I didn’t like Calla at first. There wasn’t anything in particular that bothered me, she just wasn’t anything special. At this point in my reading, I need something or someone to grab me. Calla was the typical “girl in paranormal teen fiction” character. Quite frankly, I’m sick of the pattern. I just don’t like reading about the same girl in every book. What fun is that? And let’s face it, they’re all pretty similar. Thank God for Shay and Ren. I wouldn’t have made it through this book without them. Shay was the first to grab my attention with his fascination with Hobbes and “The War of All Against All.” That was the first thing to grab my attention. I really love when authors refer to previous philosophical texts in their books. This is the first time I’ve come across Thomas Hobbes in this way, and I have to confess I haven’t read any Hobbes. Still, it makes a book a little more engaging when there’s something deeper to it. Ren didn’t gain my favor until the end of the book. We learn about Ren slowly. It takes a while before we get below the surface and see something real in him. I would love to learn a little more about him in the next book.

The plot was a little predictable. I guessed a few things before they happened. I like being surprised so that’s not really a good thing. I did get interested in what’s going on with Keepers and the Searchers. I’ll definitely read the next one because I find that part of the story fascinating. I enjoyed the book, but I’m hoping I’ll like the series a little better  when I begin to get more invested in it. I’ll try not to be so hard on Calla next time. I thought Rebecca Lowman did a terrific job with the narration. If you like audiobooks, this is a good one.

I’m so glad I finally got a glimpse into Rin’s life. I’m so glad there’s a reason for the way she acts. She’s just as fragile as Yuki. Well, I guess she’s more fragile. While Yuki keeps all his pain inside, Rin takes it out on everyone. She’s got a big heart though. She wants to help Haru, to set him free. It looks like she and Tohru are both looking for a way to break the curse. I like this. There might be more of a chance with both of them trying to figure it out. I’ve always had a feeling Tohru is the key to breaking the curse. I’ll guess we’ll see if I’m right.

More student council stuff. At least, I found out a little more about Kuragi. The class is also going to put on a play. I think’s it’s hilarious that Kyo was chosen to be Prince Charming. I imagine this will show up in one of the following volumes. I can’t wait to watch Kyo try to be charming.

We get to meet Yuki’s ice-queen of a mother. She’s ready to tell Yuki exactly what kind of life he will have without consulting him about his feelings. Ayame shows up and saves the day. It’s nice to see him come through for Yuki, and I think Yuki really does appreciate it. There’s more student council crap that I don’t really care about. Okay, so maybe I’m slightly curious about Kuragi because she’s so quiet. But that’s the only interest I have in any of them. I have to say, though, Yuki is right. The Manabe really is just like Ayame.

Tohru goes in search of Kureno after she finds out that’s who Uo is in love with. In her search she comes across Momiji’s little sister spying on him. She sneaks over to his room to listen to him play the violin and she wants him to be her brother. She’s guessed that he’s probably her brother since he looks so much like their mother. It’s precious, and kind of sad. Kureno is most definitely interesting. I’m ready to learn more about him. He’s quiet, which makes it hard to find out if he’s good or bad. I’m leaning toward good. We’ll have to wait and see.

The class goes on a trip. Not much really goes on there. There’s a couple of nice moments with Tohru and Kyo. Yuki does more thinking about his life and tries to stay strong. He really is a fragile guy. It makes me kind of sad to see the pain he suffers on the inside sometimes.

I was so excited about this final installment of this series. Though it’s not exactly a favorite, it is definitely worth a read. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobooks and this particular one didn’t disappoint.

I’ve really become invested in the characters, especially Clary, Jace, Simon, and Alec. I didn’t really like Alec much at first, but I really warmed up to him in this book. He’s pretty cool and he comes into his own in this one. It was a little frustrating to watch Clary and Jace struggle with their relationship. I understood why they were acting the way they were, but somtimes they would be so cold to each other and it was kind of annoying. Simon was the most surprising of the characters, as far as growth goes. He also comes into his own. He stands up for the people he loves and what he believes in. He became a really strong character by the end of this book.

Though I’ve enjoyed these books, there was still something about them that kept them from becoming favorites. I think I liked the idea of the plot. I might have enjoyed it a little more if it didn’t have that casual YA style that I’ve been coming across. It’s more about the writing than anything. I just wanted the writing to be a little more formal. I’m not sure why. I just think it would have lent itself better to this story. The plot was some predictable. I like it when I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I like being surprised. I guessed a lot of things that happened in this book. I was only surprised a few times. I think the plot itself and the characters I loved saved it from me being too critical about the predictability.

All in all, it was a really good series. I recommend it to anyone who’s interested in YA fantasy. I really liked Natalie Moore. I was so excited when she took over the narration of the second book. She was perfect, and I never hated the voices she gave the characters, the way I hated Ari Graynor’s voices. It’s a good choice for an audiobook listen.

Let me just say that I am not the least bit interested in the student council. I’ve already started reading the next volume and there’s more about them in that. Please, God, don’t let this go on forever. I’m pretty much just interested in the Sohma family and Tohru and her friends. Everyone else, I could care less about. All this mess with the student council just seems pointless to me.

Tohru is taking her promise seriously. She goes to see Shishou and talks to him about Kyo and his future. She doesn’t want him to be confined and she’s actually trying to do something about it. Go, Tohru! She also goes to see her grandfather. This, too, seemed a little pointless.

Kyo and Kagura have the talk they really needed to have. Kyo just doesn’t love her and it’s time her told her. Of course, she knows. She’s just been holding onto him because he was so nice to her when they were little.

Yuki has been thinking about Rin and what’s going on with her. Then he runs into her in the woods looking like a ho-bag. He’s trying to figure out why she treating Haru so bad. Then Haru shows up planting a pretty awesome looking kiss on Rin. I just love Haru. He’s got to be one of the coolest of the Sohma family (except Kyo, of course). He and Rin look nice together, but I’m not sure how things will turn out with them. Rin is being pretty stubborn about whatever is going on with her.

The plot is start to weave together into one thing, rather than each chapter being a little story. I like that better because I feel like it’s starting to get to the point. Like I said, I’m interested in the Sohma family and I’m ready for Tohru to help get rid of Akito (or whatever it is she plans to do about him).

My liking to Kristina diminished completely in this book. Through most of it, I was rooting for her to get over her bad habit and take care of her baby. After the chances of that slowly began to fade, I started to really dislike her. The difference is that she didn’t just abandon her baby for drugs. She abandoned him for a guy. She didn’t make him the most important thing in her life, and that made me hate her. I’m glad that the next book isn’t about her because I’m not sure I’d be able to read it if it were.

Kristina grows, just in the wrong direction. She becomes hopelessly addicted and can’t tear herself away from her addiction, not for anything or anyone. We meet a couple of new people. Trey is the new love interest (I miss Chase!) and I never warmed up to him. He’s a terrible influence on Kristina. I’m not even sure why they fall in love. In fact, I’m not sure they really did fall in love. It just seemed like she wanted to sleep with him and do drugs with him. Then, she complained when he wasn’t there. Brad, his cousin, is the only character I could actually stand. He was a sweet, quiet guy. I think he really cared about Kristina and I loved him for that.

Once again, I enjoyed Hopkins style. This one seemed a little less poetic than the last. There were still hints of it. Her style worked well for this subject. I’m very interested to read some of her other books after I finish this series. I’m sorry to say that Laura Flanagan made a return. I still think she’s one of the worst narrators I’ve ever heard. Her unclear speech can be distracting and she still has those unnatural pauses in the middle of sentences. It’s just weird.

I have to admit I was still pulled along by the plot, even if my liking for Kristina was gone. I was interested in what would happen to her and her baby. I kept listening hoping that maybe she would pull it together. I wanted to believe she could do it. I think that might be what makes addicts such a disappointment. Those of us who have never had the problem don’t understand the pull it has. Hopkins really tries to convey that part of addiction in these books. It’s not enough to want to be a good person or a good mother. It’s really hard for someone to stop when they’re using something this addictive. I got that, but I still became disappointed in the end. I wanted Kristina to be the person she wanted to be deep down. Still, it was very interesting to see drug use from the users perspective and I’ve enjoyed learning what I have from these books. I’m ready for the next one. I can’t wait to see what kind of person Hunter becomes and his siblings.