Review: The Queen of Kentucky

The Queen of Kentucky

by Alecia Whitaker

Quote: " Sometimes things feel that way. You know, you just think there must've been-must be- something you can do. but in the end, you just gotta do the best you can when you can."~ Luke pg. 198

Started: November 28, 2012

Finished: December 8, 2012

375 pages, hardcover

From the cover:

Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would prefer to be called Erika, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and fit in with the popular crowd at her small-town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen  magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes, and strikes up an unlikely flirtation with the freshman class's resident bad boy. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and neighbor, Luke, says he misses " plain old Ricki Jo."

  Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her.

  After a serious incident on Luke's farm, Ricki Jo realizes that being a true friend is more important than being popular...and that one boy who matters most has been next door all along.

My Review:

My initial reaction to the end of this book was just.."duh". Honestly, I think you would have to either be fourteen or have the mentality of that to truly enjoy this book. It was well written, again if you actually were fourteen.

This book was way under the YA level it is classified. Other than a drunken-make-out session and the strip- truth or dare at a sleepover, I didn't see any red flags to letting my fourteen year old read it.

I will say, I pray my daughter is a lot more mature than Miss Erika Jo. In more ways than one. Her character was almost unbelievable. I just kept thinking, " Wow, are all/most fourteen- year -old girls THAT immature and naive????"

I pray not! Seriously, she seemed so superficial after seeming to have a strong start in life. Although it doesn't give much insight into her upbringing. It does seem she came from a "good" family with values and at the least a sense of worth and "what really matters."

Maybe I'm being to hard on dear Alecia Whitaker. Maybe I just didn't get it.

I gave this book 3 stars and hope it will be a better read for younger audiences. 

Review: The Unholy(Krewe of Hunters #6)

The Unholy

by Heather Graham

Quote: " If the cops could just understand what this has done to him, how he's feeling...they'd know he couldn't have done it."~ Eddie pg. 134

Started: Nov. 1, 2012

Finished: Nov. 27, 2012

486 pages/hardcover, large print edition

From the cover:

The 1940s: Hard-boiled detectives and femmes fatale are box-office gold. In one iconic scene, set in a deserted museum, the buxom beauty is throttled by an ominous Egyptian priest. 

NOW: The Black Box Cinema immortal-izes Hollywood's Golden Age in its gallery of  film noir tributes. But the mannequin of that Egyptian priest is hardly lifeless. He walks- and a young starlet dies a terrifying death. Movie mogul Eddie Archer's son is charged with the murder and calls agent Sean Cameron. As part of an FBI paranormal forensics team, Cameron works with special-effects artist Madison Darvil- who has her own otherworldly gifts.

My Review:

This is book six in the Krewe of Hunters series. Each of these books has their own story line and setting but still very many, maybe too many similarities. While they are different enough to keep you from feeling deju vu with each book as an individual, they do seem to have the save theme. crime=krewe=2 single people=both have "otherworldly gifts"= damsel in distress= cased solve=happy ending.

You get the idea, right?

I enjoyed the setting of this one only after about half way through the book when they actually started describing the history of the property and how the ancestors were connected. That was probably the best part other than the main hunk-o was named Sean and I may have been a little too biased and kept reading solely to see what action he got.

I probably will finish out this series. Even if only to see where they send the Krewe next...

*4 stars*

Review: Son(The Giver Quartet #4)

Son

by Lois Lowry

Quote: " But it was fun for me today. Part of my job is giving the newchildren to their parental units. The new mothers and fathers are always so excited."~ Nurturer  pg.77

Started: Nov. 2, 2012

Finished: Nov. 9, 2012

393 pages/ hardcover

From the cover:

" They called her Water Claire."

When the young girl washed up on their shore, no one knew she had been a Vessel. That she had carried a Product. That it had been carved from her belly. Stolen.

Claire had had a son. She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. When he was taken from their community, she knew she had to follow.

And so her journey began.

But here in this wind-battered village Claire is welcomed as one of their own. In the security of her new home, she is free and loved. She grows stronger.

As tempted as she is by the warmth of more human kindness than she has ever known, she cannot stay. Her son is out there; a young boy by now.

Claire will stop at nothing to find her child...

even if it means trading her own life.

With Son, the two-time Newberry Medal-winning Lois Lowry has spun another mesmerizing tale in this thrilling and long-awaited conclusion to The Giver.

My Review:

This was a great ending to a wonderful series. Son, tied up all the loose ends to the 3 previous books. It was very well written and made a great story even better. The main character is Claire. She was chosen to be a Vessel but something went wrong. Even with the Elders wisdom and great reputation for making the best choices, the unexpected happened. From then on Claire was changed, different and unsure of most things. The one thing she was sure of, she had to find her son.The book is divided in to three parts. Before, Between, and Beyond.  It tells everything from how each character got to where they are to where they were when they seemed "missing" in the middle books. It , for the most part ties everyone together and helps explain the how, why and whens. I would love to see these stories made into a children's movie or a mini-series.

*4 stars*

Review: The Midwife's Confession

The Midwife's Confession

by Diane Chamberlain

Quote: " I feel like I don't know her. I know I've said that a lot lately, but now I really, really feel that way." ~ Emerson pg. 138

Started: Oct. 29, 2012

Finished: Oct. 31, 2012

417 pages/ paperback

From the cover:

Dear Anna,

What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry...

The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle- her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family- described a woman who embraced life.

 Yet there was so much they didn't know.

With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives- and the life of a desperate stranger- with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit.

Told with sensitivity and insight. The Midwife's Confession will have you turning pages late into the night.

My Review:

This book will definitely be among my Top 10 favorite books ever. Honestly, I couldn't tell you exactly why and yet, there are so many reasons why! Confused? Me too! I don't know. It was just such a well written book with the most intriguing characters. I could not put it down. I literally read on and off for less than 2 days and had it finished. i even went back and re-read skipping around trying to take it all in again and make sure I hadn't missed anything. I couldn't get enough of the characters!

 Everything falls into place just when it should. It gives you such insight into how complex humans truly are. How even the people we are closest to can be so much more than we ever knew or ever thought possible. 

This is such a tragic and heart wrenching story about a woman's life, mistakes, lessons learned and how she copes with the things both in and out of her control. Right, wrong or ugly this was who she was. As you read you learn which parts she chose to expose and what she kept hidden until after her death. things that even then were only found by accident and the drive to find answers. to find the truth!

Completely amazing!

*5 stars* (should be 10!)

Please check out more of  Diane Chamberlain's books.

I know I will be!