Going Too Far Review

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(More customer reviews)All Meg has ever wanted is to escape from her backwater hometown. Away from certain memories, away from her parents who seem to want to suffocate her in their dull lives...away from everything. And it looks like she's getting her wish, it's almost spring break and she's going on a trip to Miami and see the beach.
But then, Meg and a few friends end up on a bridge where, a few years ago, some kids died. They're caught by a cop, John After, who's only 19 years old and was one of the top students of his year...Meg can't imagine why he would choose to remain tied down in the tiny town and work as a cop. But John is connected, strangely, to the bridge and Meg and her friends' stunt provokes him to want to teach them a memorable lesson.
Meg is assigned to join John After during his night shifts for a week, to learn about the law and the importance of it.
Only, Meg isn't one to be complacent and she pushes to find out exactly what promoted John to remain bound to the small town that she's so determined to escape from. And he fights back, and stretches her boundaries in an attempt to figure out exactly why Meg refuses to remain in the small Alabama town that has shaped both of their lives so much.
So, this was my second Jennifer Echols novel. I'd always intended to read The Boys Next Door, but for some reason, I never got around to it. I *did* read Major Crush which was a pretty cute ro-com read. But then I read Going Too Far. It blew Major Crush away.
I'd expected Going Too Far to be good. To be great, even. I was sure that when I reviewed it, I'd tackle it like most of the other books I've reviewed. Normal and level-headed. Except this time, I have no CHOICE but to let loose and write a completely fan-girly review of Going Too Far. You've been warned.
Okay. So this book has depth. And I'm not talking the shallow pool that some YA novels are. Going Too Far is a freaking ocean. And I mean it in the best way possible.
The relationships and characters in this novel are so complex and layered. The main characters and secondary characters all seem so real. They all have their dreams, their hobbies and their insecurities. John and Meg's pasts both haunt them, every decision in the now is a reflection of certain events from before. Both have secrets that are hinted at, throughout the novel. But, it is only further in the novel that the secrets are fully revealed to the reader and the other characters. (And, of course, this fuels further conflict and further revelations and conclusions.)
The story is told in Meg's POV, and it couldn't be told any other way. Meg's voice is realistic; everything about her makes sense and stays true to her character.
Along with that, Meg's easy to relate with and feel for, despite her not being like the average teenager. When she hurts, you cringe. When she's happy, you smile. In that aspect, reading Going Too Far is like a (fun) roller coaster.
Similarly, John is well-rounded as well. His secret, his driving motivation in life and everything..really, are questioned by Meg in this novel. The way he handles his life, his job and the way he is, makes it easy to feel for him as well.
And when you put the two characters together? It's completely believable to have them get each other. To have them fall in love, even. There are so many books where relationships are handled shabbily; the girl and the guy meet, think the other is hot and decide, at the end of the book, that they should go out. It's not like this at all in Going Too Far. In the span of the week that the book takes place over, it's easy to see their relationship build as you read page after page.
Overall, Going Too Far is an intense, touching and believable story of love, loss and friendship that will resonate with you for a long time after you've closed the book.
Honestly, this is one that deserves a spot on your bookshelf. Make sure you pick up a copy!
Reader Rabbit
readerrabbit.blogspot.com

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HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO? All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back. John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....

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The Justice Game Review

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(More customer reviews)Based on a real-life case attorney Randy Singer tried ten years ago, The Justice Game artfully portrays both sides of the gun rights debate. Interestingly, Singer didn't set out to convert anyone. He told me, "I wanted to write a book so balanced that both sides would look at it and say, `That fairly represents our case.'"
The Justice Game opens in TV news reporter Rachel Crawford's point of view. A crazed gunman named Larry Jamison, the subject of a scathing news report, barges into the studio and shoots Rachel dead. The crime is clearly caught on film, but it's not the killer who ends up in court during The Justice Game. Rachel's grieving husband sues the manufacturer of Jamison's assault weapon for her wrongful death. He believes they are responsible since they knew the gun store who sold the weapon was known for illegal straw sales.
But this story isn't about Rachel as much as it's about young and ambitious defense attorney Jason Noble and up-and-coming prosecutor Kelly Starling. Both believe in their clients. Both are on top of their games. And both have pasts worthy of blackmail. Mix in the intriguing concept of a cutting edge company who predicts the outcome of trials for financial gain using shadow juries, and you have a true Randy Singer plot--full of delightful twists and turns you never saw coming.
Pay careful attention during the beginning chapters. Because so many of these concepts are unfamiliar, and many key players aren't introduced until later in the story, there's the potential for confusion. But there's also a great glimpse into the fascinating aspects of shadow juries and we come to understand why gun control is such a visceral issue to so many. At times you'll find yourself nodding in agreement with the defense as they present their case; then you'll empathize with the prosecution as they present theirs. Which just goes to show Singer has succeeded in what he set out to write--a novel that evenly presented both sides.
The Justice Game doesn't feel like an issue novel. We're never pounded over the head with its message. Instead, we're subtly led to our own conclusions as we examine the facts. Should a gun manufacturer be held responsible for a crime committed with one of their guns?
Before Singer finished writing The Justice Game a four minute interactive promotional video was created that presented the closing arguments of his fictional case. Then readers were asked to cast their vote on the verdict, and that would become the ending of the book. Their decision would be final. According to Randy the side that started out ahead stayed ahead.
Randy singer is one of the best Christian legal thriller writers out there in the purest sense. His complex plot spins and colorful, realistic characters combine to bring us a rich reading experience in The Justice Game.
--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk

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Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) Review

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(More customer reviews)Lauren DeStefano's debut novel, Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy), opens with a harrowing scene: young women have been plucked off the streets and forced into the back of a van. Some will be killed, and others will be sold into polygamous marriages. Ever since geneticists made a mistake, all women die at age 20 and all men at age 25. Along with two other women, Rhine is sold to a wealthy man as a replacement for his dying wife. Locked away in his mansion, Rhine must decide whether to accept the life of luxury she's been provided or whether to risk everything to escape back to a world of freedom and her twin brother.
WITHER opens with the best first chapter I've read in a while, and the story's hook will grab readers immediately. The book excels in its chilling depiction of the realities of Rhine's world, and the writing doesn't shy away from descriptions about sex and sexuality, the inner workings of the polygamous marriage, and how different people would adapt to the situation. Through its story, the novel also touches on hot issues like assisted reproduction and genetic engineering. Rhine and her two sister-wives, Cecily and Jenna, are sympathetic as characters in their own unique ways. I found their complicated relationships with one another to be the most compelling in the book. The novel also finishes with an ending that can stand on its own, even with the known sequel forthcoming.
Despite the extremely strong opening, storyline, and created world, the book faltered a bit. The mythology and world building regarding the "virus" and the resulting society was not always clear and had some plot holes. Rhine's romantic relationship with Gabriel, the servant boy, wasn't very moving, and some of the characters' actions were unclear in their reasoning or felt manufactured. For example, Rhine's flip-flopping about whether to stay or leave didn't always feel genuine. The different relationships depicted between Linden, the husband, and each of his wives also felt out of character for each woman at times.
While I did find a few things that could be improved, DeStefano is obviously a strong new force in the young adult dystopian genre, and I look forward to seeing where book two in her trilogy leads.
Note: This review refers to an advance reader's copy.

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Don't Breathe a Word: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is bizarre, in so many ways. The events that unfold don't make sense in the reality world. This is what made it so insanely intriguing.
This book was nothing like what I expected. I expected it to be a happy little story about some little girls fantasy world. Oh no, its not even close. This book has twists and turns, and then there are twists on top of the turns. Just when you think it couldn't get any weirder, it does. Nothing is what is expected.
The chapters alternate between Lisa (the little girl) 15 years prior, and Phoebe (her brothers girlfriend) exactly 15 years later to the date. Some of the chapters have great cliffhangers, and I found myself skipping forward to find out what happened. The reader is left in the dark when it comes to the mystery, and so are the main characters in this book. I think this is what makes it even more suspenseful.
Be warned, there are some disturbing elements in this story. I can't reveal certain parts of the story or it will ruin the mystery that is built up as the story progresses. Posting spoilers about this book would be doing the reader a huge disservice and would completely ruin the mystery of this book.
I had a very difficult time putting this book down. I read it slowly, so I could absorb all of the details, but I wanted to fly through it because I was dying to find out how it ended. If you are looking for a book that takes you down a path that you never expected, is so bizarre it doesn't make sense, makes you think and then think again and entertains you from page 1 to page 447, then I would highly recommend this book!

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The Dragon's Path (The Dagger and the Coin) Review

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(More customer reviews)As I've said in my other reviews of his books, I'd place Daniel Abraham's The Long Price Quartet, among the top four or five fantasy series of the past decade. So when his new series, entitled The Dagger and the Coin, was announced, I was more than eager to see what he would do for a follow-up. I was not disappointed. The first book in the series, The Dragon's Path, is one of my favorite reads so far this year and I'll be surprised if it doesn't make it onto my year's best list by the end.
It is set in a world long ago ruled by dragons, who over time created thirteen subspecies of humans to act as specialized slaves, breeding one group with the attributes of warriors and another with traits better suited to underground mining, for instance. With the dragons long gone (though their artifacts such as roads and buildings remain), the humans have forged their own kingdoms, city-states, empires, etc. One such is Antea, whose Severed Throne sits in the capital city of Camnipol. Antea is currently ruled by King Simeon, but the land teeters on the edge of civil war as new ideas threaten the whole idea of fixed nobility and rule by king, leading to factions and rivalries within the court. Dawson Kalliam is an ultraconservative noble who will do all he can to protect his friend the king and the status quo (everybody in their place where they belong), sure in the rightness and, ahem, "nobility" of his position. Along with the group of nobles he enlists to his cause, he is also is helped by his wife Clara, son Jorey, and a houseguard named Coe. Caught up in the gamesmanship is a young noble, Geder Palliako, who is more scholar than soldier or political player, but finds himself at various points fighting in an attack on the Free City of Vanai, becoming head administrator of a city, trying to head off a coup, and setting out into the wilds in search of an ancient legend.
Meanwhile, the Medean Bank branch in Vanai, seeing the writing on the wall, smuggles out much of its holdings via a young ward of the bank, Cithrin, who disguises herself as a boy, the goods as wool and iron, and joins a caravan exiting the city before the battle. The caravan is guarded by Captain Marcus Wester (famous hero), his second in command Yardem, and a group of actors he's had to hire to pretend to be guards, led by an older actor named Kit. Eventually, plans go awry and the caravan is diverted to another city where the characters have to find new ways to keep themselves and the bank's wealth safe. The book weaves among several third-person points of views, most often focusing on Wester, Cithrin, Geder, and Dawson, with a few others (such as Clara and a character who appears in the prologue).
The Dragon's Path shares many of the same qualities that made the Long Price Quartet so good while working in a very different, and somewhat more conventional, sort of fantasy story. The first is excellent characterization. The two displaying the biggest growth are Geder and Cithrin, both of whom need to find new strengths within themselves as they are thrust into unfamiliar and dangerous new roles. Both begin in relatively weak positions: Geder is made a pawn of the political machinations around him while Cithrin has been a protected ward of the bank and has yet to come into her legal age. Rather than simply take us on the usual coming-of-age journey, however, Abraham throws a few twists at us, taking both characters into places we don't expect them to go, and not such glorious places either. Even better is how their maturations take place in two wholly different worlds: Geder in the political and militaristic and Cithrin in the world of economics (yes, economics).
Wester grows in quieter, more subtle ways, struggling with the changing dynamics of his relationship with Cithrin and a heavy grief he's carried with him for years. Kit, meanwhile, doesn't really change so much as is gradually revealed. The same is true for Dawson's wife Clara. Dawson, on the other hand, as one might expect from an ultraconservative, doesn't change at all, even when change might in fact be wiser than the path chosen. One of the more fascinating aspects of the book in fact is how the point of view puts the reader at odds with him or herself. As readers, one has a tendency to identify with pov character. Yet Dawson is just about the antithesis of all modern political thought: a man who will die to keep the poor in their place and the rich in theirs, not simply because he benefits personally from it but because it's "right."He rails against the new restrictions on slavery and worries the "rabble" may "choose to champion themselves." He is almost the epitome of the sneering, condescending lord we all love to hate when our pov character works against him. But here he is front and center as the pov character--what's a reader to do? Without spoiling things, I'll say that Dawson is not the only character Abraham plays this game with and its one of the most intriguing and compelling aspects of the novel.
The side characters vary in their depth and range, but none do a disservice to the reading experience. The prose makes for truly effortless reading--clean, tight, efficient without being monotone, with sharp dialogue. I'd say it is less stylized or elegant than the Long Price Quartet, though it has its moments, as when he describes how a city has outgrown its ancient battlements: "The architecture of war slept in the middle of a living community like a great hunting cat torpid from the kill."
The plot is, hmmm, perhaps Abrahamesque is the word? It's certainly more conventional than the Long Price Quartet, but it shares with that series a slow pace, quiet action, character-driven scenes, a focus on personal introspection and relationship, and a preference for political and economic maneuvering rather than sweeping military action. Abraham dispenses of "classic" fantasy scenes such as battles or journey-quests either super-speedily or in unexpected fashion. And magic--an obvious fantasy trope--is as even more understated here than in his first series, which is saying something. There is magic, but like most of Abraham's style, it is a quieter version than we're used to and comes in small, sharp moments (though we have hints it will perhaps be reentering the world in larger fashion).
I should emphasize here that "understated" and "quiet" are not euphemisms for "dull." I read The Dragon's Path in a single sitting, reading well into the night. Truth is, I find Abraham's depiction of conspiracies and economic repercussions, as well as his parsimonious use of magic to be more compelling than many a fantasy novel filled with "epic" battles and "wizardly fire."
Finally, I'll add that while I wouldn't say The Dragon's Path has flaws, in that nothing really detracted from the reading experience, it does have aspects that aren't as strong as its good qualities. I can't say I had a great feel for the thirteen human races; they seemed to blend in or blur. Part of me assumes we'll delve more into them as the series continues, so this isn't such a big deal. And part of me wonders if it matters much; that the fact they're simply "there" just makes for a more realistic feel to the story, rather than giving the reader a "tour" of the Kooky Krazy Fantasy Races. In either case, as I said, it never bothered me or took me out of the story. The same sort of no great feel for things but didn't distract holds true for a sense of culture: food, religion, etc. He has one scene where a character recalls a city he'd overwintered in: "There's a lake in the middle of the city, and the whole time we were there, you could cross it anywhere. There's a winter city they build on the ice every year. Houses and taverns and all. Like a real town." I would have loved to have gotten more of those kinds of details, as well as more on the races, but as there's a lot of story left to come, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this an assume we will see more in both areas (that scene, by the way, with the speaker teaching Cithrin how to ice skate, is one of those small but beautiful moments between characters that Abraham does so well.)
In the end, The Dragon's Path impresses nearly as much as the Long Price Quartet and I can't wait to see where this goes (and one does need to wait--unlike that first series this book doesn't end with a clear resolution. It isn't a cliffhanger, but the story is in the middle). This one will be hard to push off that Year's Favorite list. Highly recommended.

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Building Websites with ExpressionEngine 1.6: A clear, concise, and practical guide to creating a professional ExpressionEngine website Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been looking at Content Management systems for the last year and love wordpress as a blogging platform and CMS. After reading blogs from other web designers who use Wordpress for small sites, they mentioned using Expression Engine for larger, more complex projects. I became very interested in this platform and searched for a book to help me learn how to install it, administer and design for it. This book turned out to be the answer! The book is well organized with lots of screenshots, code examples, and sidenotes. The book is highly detailed with step by step instructions. It is targeted at web designers and marketing professionals so I felt that it gave me the right amount of information for the my level of experience. The book answered many questions that come to the surface such as what are the server requirements and how much space my site going will take up. The CSS presented was basic and enough to get me started to style the site with my company's branding. The book covers the tasks necessary to back up my website and how to upgrade when the time comes. The last part of the book contains exercises that helped me dig in and actually test out the code. I highly recommend this book.

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Go from the basics of setting up ExpressionEngine to creating professional ExpressionEngine websites with this concise, practical guide. This book is ideal for new users of ExpressionEngine. The book is targeted at people who are responsible for creating and managing a site with ExpressionEngine. It is suitable for web developers, designers, webmasters, content editors, and marketing professionals who want to develop a fully featured web presence in a simple and straightforward process.

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Once Bitten Review

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(More customer reviews)New author - great story. I love books by such authors as Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance, Robin McKinley, Nalini Singh, Michelle Sagara, Katie MacAlister, Rachel Caine, Ilona Andrews, Carrie Vaughn...I love Fantasy, SciFi, Urban Fantasy. Well, I loved this book. Kalayna Price creates a world you want to visit and characters you want to know. My only complaint - it was too short. I wasn't ready to leave Kita and her friends. I want more.
Kita is a shifter who turns into a calico house cat and as her father's heir, she doesn't think she is up to the task of leading her clan, full of such shifters as lions and tigers. So she escapes to earth through a gate that opens on the full moon. Constantly hiding from the hunters sent to find her she is just scraping by, surviving hand to mouth, day to day. She is not really living, nor does she actually hope for more out of life. Truly a lost little kitten in a big bad world. I loved that the author let us know just how lost Kita was, how foreign she found earth by the little keepsakes she keeps in her coat pockets...like a couple of marbles. When Kita first found the marbles she thought they were very pretty rocks. The story is fast pased and for Kita it quickly goes to heck in a hand basket only to find herself a newly made vampire. She has no idea what that means for her. She's not even sure she's still a shifter. Talk about a fish out of water...a lost little kitten. Through her struggles she finds more strength within herself then she ever could have imagined. (She is woman hear her meow.) After being such a loner and so alone for the last 5 years, she finds true friends. People she can count on when things get rough...and they definitely get rough. I'm really looking forward to more in the haven series with book two, 'Twice Dead' coming out February 2010.

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Vampires and Shapeshifters. A Fictionwise bestseller: No. 1 on the Fictionwise Dark Fantasy list in Feb. 2009Kita Nekai, on the run and the smallest of her shifter clan-a calico cat among lions and tigers-is being hunted. She was expected to accept her role as her father's successor whether or not her cat was up to the task of leading the clan. She disagreed. Now she's less than a step ahead of the hunters, bone-tired, cold, and living hand-to-mouth in the city of Haven. And that's the high point of her day. She's also drugged, "accidently" turned into a vampire, and sentenced to death for recklessly creating a rogue shifter who tortures its human prey. She's got seventy-two hours to find the rogue, evade a city full of hunters, prove she's not responsible for the rogue, and keep the vampire council from killing her. All while sorting out an apprentice mage, a married ex-boyfriend shifter-hunter, and the vampire who made her.Reviews:"Many of the world-building elements such as the nature of the vampire council, Firth and the society of the mages and Nathanial's backstory are deliberately left enigmatic to pique our curiosity and look forward to exploring the possibilities in future tales. Refreshingly, Once Bitten wraps up without the usual ubiquitous series cliff-hanger and ends on a positive note. Once Bitten is a solid urban fantasy debut with enough original ideas and twists to satisfy readers looking for something different and fresh. Kalayna Price is currently working on the next book in the Haven series." --Scifiguy Reviews"Once Bittenis imaginative, thoroughly entertaining, and easily keeps a reader's attention." -- Patricia's Vampire Notes Reviews"I'll be watching for book two in this exciting new series." -- Darque Reviews"This was a perfect adventure." -- Paranormal Romance Reviews"Urban fantasy readers who enjoy the works of Kelly Armstrong and V.K. Forrest will have a great time reading this exhilarating story." -- Harriet Klausner"Young Adult girls will swoon over the strong male characters and try to be just like Kita. 4 Hearts" -- Book Reviews by Crystal

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