Jack - Review

Review:

All work and no play makes Jack extremely bored. And when Jack gets bored, he makes mischief. It's not that he's bad; he just longs for adventure -- and there's nothing adventurous about toiling day and night to grow yucky green stuff.
Adventure finally arrives one day in the form of giants, and soon Jack is chasing them to a land beyond the clouds, with his little sister, Annabella, in tow.
-from the book jacket

This a sequel to Rump, a retelling of the story of Rumplestiltskin. And by combining and retelling Jack & the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer, Shurtliff does it again. Jack is a bored troublemaker who lives on a farm. When giants come out of the sky and take his whole village, including his dad, Jack finds a way to go after them and try to find him. How can this be a sequel you say, with none of the same characters we saw in Rump? I'm glad you asked. Funny thing is, when Jack gets to the giant kingdom, we realize that Jack is in the world of Rump, in King Barf's kingdom.  It is an ingenious way to tie the books together.

Another great fairytale retelling. The story is fun and moves quickly. There are some very funny moments and a few surprises. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to her next book which will be a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

Recommended to:
Grades 3 - 5 through to adults. Anyone who likes fairy tales really. It's a very fun book.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1184710/jack-review

Reblogged from: Susana "Lost in Fantasy Land"

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/279293614368486538/

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1182532/post

Reading progress update: I've read 49%.

Is it bad that I don't really care who is responsible for the market bombing or for the deaths of all those prisoners? I just can't get into this one. I'm not ready to give up yet though.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1183838/reading-progress-update-i-ve-read-49

Reblogged from: Yodamom Finds her Force

:)

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1183819/post

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Review

Review:

Death has his favorites, like anyone. Those who are beloved of Death will not die.
-Chapter 9


Because the villain knows that without the hero to hate, his life would be empty. Once he's murdered his adversary, he's alone.
-Chapter 27

Tana wakes up after a sundown party to discover all of her friends but one has been killed.  She finds her friend Aidan tied to a bed with a vampire tied up next to him. Tana knows about vampires, everyone does. Vampires used to be very cautious and protective of who they turned. After all, they needed to keep their food supply around. One rogue vampire ran around turning people into vampires without caution. Next thing you know, vampires were everywhere, like a virus. The military barricaded the towns where the vampire infections broke out and those towns became known as Coldtowns (when people get infected, they become "cold"). Everyone knows about vampires, there are even blogs and reality shows broadcasted from Coldtowns. Rebellious teenagers want to go to Coldtowns because they are portrayed as glamorous places where the party never ends.

This was an interesting look at the vampire world. Tana is a likable character, flaws and all. She helps her friend and a strange vampire. She isn't fooled by the fake glamour, but even she had no idea what Coldtowns were really like. She makes some foolish decisions, but she tries her best to protect those she loves. She is attracted to the vampire she saves (girls always seem to be a sucker for the "bad boys" in these kinds of stories). There is no real love triangle, so that was refreshing. There was some unexpected surprises and some very predictable things. I liked how the author incorporated the social media and reality shows that seem to be everywhere today. It was a fun twist.

This is a good story, fast paced and fun to read. I do have to warn parents that this book is not for middle grade students. It is better for high school and up I think. There were some sexual situations and a lot of talk about sex.

Recommended to:
Young adults (high school and above) & fans of YA.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1183818/the-coldest-girl-in-coldtown-review