Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) Review

**3 stars**

August 16, 2012

Hardcover Edition

A nice, fun YA book. It was a little long, but everything flowed well and the story never really dragged. The romance aspect was decently written (although completely predictable) and wasn't irritating. The language was a little annoying since it is very proper and supposed to reflect the tone of the period in which the book is set, but I got used to it fairly quickly. Sorry the review is short, but it has been a long few days since finishing. I would recommend to YA historical fiction lovers.

Island of Lost Girls Review

**3 stars**

August 13, 2012

Paperback Edition

Incredibly quick read, which is good because I couldn't put it down. Which may not be the best when you start reading around 1am... The book moves very quickly and it took a lot of attention at times to follow the story. Right from page one, the story takes off and never stops going. While this isn't my favorite book by McMahon, it is still an excellent read. The story follows Rhonda (Ronnie) as she searches to find the young girl she witnessed get kidnapped by a rabbit. As she hunts for the missing girl, she is reminded of her childhood and starts to question the disappearance of her best friend years ago. I never really connected with Rhonda. I found her incredibly annoying and very self-centered. But the author keeps you guessing throughout the book and you keep hoping that the ending is happy. Which I have come to realize is probably why I love McMahon books so much: the endings are rarely happy. This book is no different. Everything is neatly tucked into place so you can at least feel slightly satisfied with the ending but it is far from being a happily-ever-after. A book I would recommend, but not as highly as some of McMahon's other works.

Revived Review

**2 stars**

August 12, 2012

Hardcover Edition

The book never really got interesting for me. It started off slow and pretty much stayed that way. It wasn't a bad read, but it definitely wasn't what I was hoping for. At times it felt like the whole Revive story was just a subplot and the main plot was about loss and grief. I wanted to read more about Revive and the God Project, not about how hard it is to not have her new boyfriend speaking to her. However, the book was well written and the characters were really well defined. I was able to connect with all of them on some level. The descriptions weren't over-the-top but everything was described with detail. Not a book I would really recommend just because I didn't find it that interesting.

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel Review

**2 stars**

August 10, 2012

Paperback Edition

The book was okay.  I liked that it was another aspect of WWII that doesn't get much attention.  The story follows one Polish Jewish family as the are separated while fleeing the Nazis and struggle to reunite and stay alive.  I really enjoyed the fact that the Stepmother was not portrayed as being evil and heartless, but rather fierce and loyal.  She did all she could to protect her family and keep them safe.  I didn't really understand how Magda was a "witch," unless it is just due to her Gypsy heritage.  It just seemed mostly like a childish nickname caused by her living alone for so many years.  Aspects of the fairytale were woven in very well and I never knew when one was going to surface.  The reason for not rating this book very highly was because the tone of the book was very flat.  The language didn't alter when "important" scenes occurred, leaving me a little lost as to where the story was trying to go.  There weren't really any climaxes to keep me interested in the story and want to keep reading.  To some, that would probably be the best part of the book, since it treats it more like history than fiction.  But I wanted just a slightly more dramatic tone to the book.  Overall, it was good and I would probably recommend to WWII historical fiction lovers.

Dismantled Review

**4 stars**

 August 8, 2012

Hardcover Edition

Another excellent mystery/thriller. It took a little while for me to get into it since a lot of information was purposefully held back in order to make it more mysterious. I just wanted to know what had happened in the past so I could move on and enjoy the present story. But the wait was worthwhile. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on and every time I thought I had it, a twist was thrown in that completely confused me. Throughout the book you never really know if everyone is crazy, if there is a haunting or possession occurring, or if there really are just real live human beings messing with the main characters. Eventually I just came to the conclusion that it must be all three because I was completely stumped. I absolutely love when I can't guess the ending to the story within the first few pages. This is beautifully written and very complex story that I would recommend to fans on the genre.

I Am Alive (I Am Alive #1) Review

**3.5 stars**

August 2, 2012

                                         Kindle Edition

Loved it!  There were some similarities with The Hunger Games, but I like this book so much more.  I was able to connect with the main character and actually get emotionally involved with the surviving Monsters.  The descriptions of places and contests was good.  This is first book I've read in a while that I really couldn't put down.  I took away half a star from the review because there were a lot of grammar and spelling errors throughout the book, but I know a newly edited edition will be coming out soon and I'm sure I will have to adjust my rating.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the series and finding out what Decca chooses.

'Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy (Bombay Assassins #1) Review

**3 stars**

August 1, 2012

Kindle Edition

A fun story about a dysfunctional family of assassins. I loved all of the quotes at the beginning of the chapters from various movies. They definitely added to the overall humor of the book. I'm happy the author didn't go into detail on the romance scenes, although the main character got annoying as she constantly fantasized about Diego. Nothing too drastic and detailed, but extremely annoying. The book kept you guessing as to who the mole actually was, but didn't drag it out. I'm still surprised that no one in the family ever really had a problem with the "family business" and didn't raise any issues when a member had to be disciplined. There was a small rebellion, but nothing over the top. Overall, the book was fun and humorous. I would probably recommend it for those interested in the genre.