Top Ten of 2011: Characters that Stole the Show

Today is day four of Top Ten Week, hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic and Lisa from A Life Bound By Books and co-hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun and Jaime & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books. Today, I wanted to talk about secondary characters that stole the show from the main characters and made these books infinitely more enjoyable. Here are my top 10:

1. Grimalkin

The Iron Fey series, by Julie Kagawa

With his quick wit, sarcasm and dry humor, Grim is probably my favorite character in the entire series.

2. Vic

Touch of Frost and Kiss of Frost, by Jennifer Estep

You just have to love Gwen’s bloodthirsty talking sword. He is awesome and even though I read the books, I could just hear him waging revenge in that British accent of his.

3. Pamela Rowe

Dearly, Departed, by Lia Habel

While the book’s main character is searching for answers and learning how to defend herself from zombies, her best friend Pamela is out killing them. With a parasol. Love this girl!

4. Hector Delos

Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini

While Lucas may be Helen’s love interest, his cousin Hector is so much more interesting. And hotter. I’m hoping there is a lot more of Hector in the sequel.

5. Master Alcantara

Isle of Night, by Veronica Wolff

This Vampire gives off some seriously sexy/creepy vibes. I’m still not sure if I should be attracted to him or repulsed by him, but he does add delicious drama to the book!

6. Tamra Jones

Vanish, by Sophie Jordan

I hated that Jacinda and Tamra has such a poor sisterly relationship in Firelight so it was awesome to see Tamra really grow in Vanish. Plus, the whole complicated thing she has going on with Cassian is so tense and dramatic!

7. Lia Berttini and Luca Forelli

Waterfall and Cascade, by Lisa T. Bergren

While reading these books, I found myself wanting to know more about what was going on between Lia and Luca than Gabi and Marcello

8. Devon McCallister

Trial by Fire, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Got to love a quick witted werewolf with keen sense of style who delivers awesome one liners. I’m still hoping that he and Lake end up together….

9. Justin Spellman

Clarity, by Kim Harrington

I’m not one for cheating ex-boyfriends but Justin is a really sweet guy who made a horrendous, drunken mistake. I really liked him and hope that Clarity can forgive him and take him back. As you can tell, I’m kinda on Team Justin.

10. Kaleb Ballard

Hourglass, by Myra McEntire

While I don’t think he is a good match for Emerson and a teeny bit too sexually aggressive and self absorbed, Kaleb kept things interesting. Loved the fact the he was so much more easy going than Michael.

Who were your top ten characters for 2011?

Challenges Completed!

I only signed up for two challenges in 2011, the Debut Author Challenge (DAC) and the Borrowed Book Challenge (BBC). With so many fabulous books by debut authors, the DAC was easy for me and I finished it months ago. The BBC should have been easy too since at the beginning of the year, I got most of my books from the library so reading and review 48 of them should not have been a problem.

What I did not anticipate, however, were programs like NetGalley and Simon and Shuster Galley Grab and I ended getting a lot of books from them instead of my library. Instead of this challenge being easy, I struggled to finish it and have learned a valuable lesson in the process: set my book challenge goals at realistic levels because I really hate to fail.

I still have several NetGalley books to review but after I get through them, I will be requesting less and borrowing more. My library system is awesome and I always want to support it. I’ll be posting more on bookish New Year’s resolution in a week or so, but this is my first one.

Interested in what books I read for my challenges? Here is a link to them. How did you do on your 2011 book challenges?

Book Review: Aphrodite the Beauty

Title: Aphrodite the Beauty by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 224 pages
Genre: Middle Grade, Mythology
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary: Well-researched and true to the original myths, each volume in the Goddess Girls series addresses contemporary issues like friendships and relationships from a classically accurate—and entertaining—persepective.

In Aphrodite the Beauty, Aphrodite, goddessgirl of love, must deal with jealousy after giving Athena a makeover. It doesn’t seem fair that the godboys pay more attention to her friend when Aphrodite is supposed to be destined for love! She also copes with a crush from an unlikely source—the nerdy Hephaestus (god of the smith)—and learns that love comes in many forms.

I’m a fan of this Goddess Girls series and although I liked Aphrodite the Beauty a lot, I didn’t love it as much I did the first two books in the series. I feel like pre-teen girls are bombarded with love relationship issues and expectations at such a young age that I appreciate books that don’t focus on them but I know I’m not being realistic. Crushes happen and Aphrodite the Beauty actually deals with it in a very sweet and responsible way. Additionally, this book is about Aphrodite, after all, so of course it deals with crushes, angst and love.

Aphrodite is bored with all the attention she gets from the boys so to entertain herself, she gives her friend, Athena, a makeover. No one is prepared for the amount of attention Athena gets, especially from Ares, Aphrodite’s crush. 

As in mythology, Athena is a bit shallow. She becomes jealous of the Athena and is not always very nice to the one boy who actually likes her for who she is inside and not just how she looks. Aphrodite the Beauty is about jealously, friendship and most importantly, appreciating inner beauty. As with the other books in the series, the mythological aspects of the book are fun and well written.

So far, this series is an all around hit. I highly recommend it for pre-teen girls.

Content: Clean read. 

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: Persephone the Phony

Title: Persephone the Phony by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Release Date: April 6, 2010
Publisher: Aladdin
Pages: 160 pages
Genre: Middle Grade, Mythology
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary: As Persephone's mother encourages her to do, she often "goes along to get along" instead of doing what she really wants. But when she meets Mount Olympus Academy bad-boy Hades, she finally feels she has found someone with whom she can be herself. He's the first person who actually listens to her, and she finds herself liking him, despite the fact that the other goddessgirls think he's bad news. But if he makes her feel so special -- and so comfortable -- can he really be all that bad? 

Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic myths with the Goddess Girls series. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

Persephone the Phony is the second book in the Goddess Girls series. While I’ve been reading the books in order, they can stand alone as well. As with the first book in the series, Persphone the Phony deals with real issues that today’s girls face while using a fun, mythological setting that gives pre-teens a loose introduction to Greek myth.

As the title suggests, Persephone is the subject of this book. Persephone is a people pleaser who goes along with others people’s opinions and plans, even when she feels different. With girls facing so much peer pressure, I liked the positive message that you should be true to yourself and not a ‘phony’ as Persephony was at the start of the book.

The book also deals with wrongfully judging people (in this case, Hades) and family relationships. There is a bit of romance in the book but it’s very sweet and innocent.

Persephone the Phony is another book in the Goddess Girls series that I would recommend to young girls. It’s adorable and a quick read. I am looking forward to the other books in the series.

Content: Clean read.

My Rating: Really Good!

Winner!

Congratulations to Stacey Brucale who is the winner of the Mid-winter’s Eve Giveaway Hop. The winner, chosen by Random.org, has been contacted. Thank you to everyone who participated! I still have the Best of 2011 giveaway going on so make sure you enter to win your choice of one of the great books being offered.

Top 10 Book Boyfriends of 2011

Today is day three of Top Ten Week, hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic and Lisa from A Life Bound By Books and co-hosted by Rachel from Fiktshun and Jaime & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books. While trying to come up with list of the most swoon-worthy guys I read about this year, I realized how picky I am about my book boys. This was much harder for me than I thought. Here are my picks:

1. Prince Ash
The Iron Knight, by Julie Kagawa

Yep, Ash is my number one. I read all four books in the Iron Fey series this year and while Ash seems so cold in the first two books, we really get to know him in the last book. I love how selfless he is and so willing to sacrifice everything to be with Megan. 

 2. Four

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Easy to see why Tris was crushing on her hot trainer. Four is the perfect combination of quiet strength, power and vulnerability.

3. All three Delos boys (Lucas, Hector and Jason)

Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini

Angelini put not one, but three hot demigods in her debut novel. I’m very happy that she did.

4. Daniel Kalbi
The Lost Saint, by Bree Despain 

At the very heart of this werewolf novel is a prodigal son-like story of redemption. I love Daniel and how hard he works to fight against the monster within and especially how he treats Grace.

5. Leon Grey
Prized, by Caragh O'Brien

Leon is handsome with a dark and brooding personality, which I don’t always like. However, he sacrifices so much for Gaia, I can’t help but love him!

6. Beckett Rush

There You’ll Find Me, by Jenny B. Jones
While his swoon-worthy character is clearly modeled after a Robert Pattison-like actor, Beckett is everything we wish and hope Robert Pattison is like in real life: loving, kind, patient, funny and completely down to earth.

 7. Luca Forelli

Waterfall and Cascade, Lisa T. Bergren

Luca may not have been the main character’s love interest but I loved him nonetheless. He is handsome, funny and determined to win Lia’s heart.

8. Rodolfo Greco

Cascade, by Lisa T. Bergren

Greco starts off as the hot bad boy but there is much more to him than meets the eye.

9. Logan Quinn

Kiss of Frost, by Jennifer Estep

I really like Logan and how protective he is of Gwen. Now I need him to face his past, stop his whorish ways and start a relationship with Gwen. Think you can handle that, hmmm Logan?

 10. Tucker Avery

Unearthly, by Cynthia Hand

I’m not one for cowboys but I will make an exception for Tucker. The romance between him and Clara is so incredibly sweet, it’s what I loved most about the book.

Who were your book boyfriends for 2011?

Book Review: Fateful

Title: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Release Date: Sep. 13, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 356 pages
Genre: Paranormal, Historical
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary: In Fateful, eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, overbearing family she works for. Once the ship they’re sailing on reaches the United States, she’ll strike out on her own. Then she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets....

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves are real and they’re stalking him—and now Tess, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

Featuring the opulent backdrop of the Titanic, Fateful’s publication is poised to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s doomed maiden voyage. It is sure to be a hit among Titanic buffs and fans of paranormal romance alike.

When I read the summary for Fateful a few months back and saw that Claudia Gray was writing a book about werewolves on the Titanic, I knew I had to read it. While, I loved the historical aspects of this book, I was a little disappointed with the romance.

In Fateful, it’s clear that Gray did her research on the Titanic and it’s reflected in both the big and small the details about the ship. I love how Gray subtly and effectively combines the historical and paranormal aspects of the book.

Tess’s character is likable. She is a maid for a rich family whose matriarch treats the help very poorly. Tess, being smart and ambitious, plans to quit as soon as the ship gets to New York and make a new life for herself. She handles herself with grace even when being bereted by her employer. She is brave when the people she cares about are being threatened. The secondary characters are also well written and I loved how their stories were slowly revealed throughout the book.

As much as I liked Tess, I just was not enthusiastic about her relationship with Alec. Alec is the rich, handsome passenger from first class and Tess unwittingly gets involved in a dangerous situation he has going on with another passenger on the ship. Alec is dark and brooding throughout most of the novel. I understand that he is unhappy about his situation, but I really wanted him to stop moping and work just a little harder to keep Tess safe from Mikhail.

I was bugged by the fact that Tess does most of the ‘heavy lifting’ in this book while Alec is mostly sad. She thwarts the bad guy on several occasions, comes up with some of the better ideas to help Alec and pretty much saves him from himself. I’m all for strong female characters but I don’t think we need kick-butt heroines at the expense of strong male lead characters.

Their romance also happened a bit fast for me and before you say it, I know that a shipboard romance on the Titanic means that the couple has to meet and fall in love over a four day period. And yes, while I bought the shipboard romance in the movie Titanic, Alec and Tess are no Jack and Rose. I just was not feeling it. 

Fateful is original, has lots of action, forbidden romance and a dramatic and well written setting. Hardcore historical and paranormal romance lovers may like this more than I did. While not bad, this was just an OK book for me.

Content: Kissing, sex (no graphic descriptions) and violence.

My Rating: Just Fine