934 and counting …

• Posted in Books I've Read

One thing I have to catch up on is all the books that I’ve read while the blog has been on forced hiatus. So forgive me if the reviews are a little shorter than usual for a while.

Finished Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. This is the first book in her hugely popular Vampire Academy young adult series.

The book focuses on Rose, a half-human/half-vampire who’s training to become the guardian/protector of her best friend Lissa, a mortal vampire princess. The book follows Rose as she and Lissa deal with all sorts of things — cute boys, mean girls, and someone who seems to have it in for Lissa.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Mead packs so much in here — everything from friendship to depression to survivor’s guilt — and she does it really, really well. It’s a lot deeper than some of the YA that I’ve read, but it’s also fun too — which is a hard balance to achieve. There’s also a twisty mystery about who the bad guy is and romance for both Rose and Lissa.

This is definitely one of the best YA books that I’ve read in a while, and I’ll be reading the next one in this series — just as soon as I whittle down the TBR pile a bit. 😎 

Big thumbs up.

Up next: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

Books in my TBR pile: About 25.

What about you guys? What have you been reading this summer? Share in the comments.

2 Responses to “934 and counting …”

  1. Jeanne says:

    Welcome back! Glad to see your blog. Vampire Academy IS one of the YA titles we’re asked about frequently here at BPL. Titles by P.C. Cast are also popular as is Schreiber’s Kissing Coffins series. Anything with vampires, and preferably a series, which limits the appeal of the very good Sunshine by Robin McKinley and Silver Kiss by Klause.

    I did something I rarely do anymore, a re-read: Good Omens by Gaiman and Prachett. It holds up fairly well, with only a few things that mark it as a pre-9/11 title. I still recommend it highly, especially to those with a taste for British humor. The Anti-Christ has been born and the stage is being set for the Final Confrontation. Except that an inept Satanic nun seems to have misplaced the baby and no one seems to quite know where he’s gotten off to. Add to the mix one fallen angel and one true angel who both have mixed emotions about the ending of the Earth As We Know It, a confused Hell Hound and the Four Horsemen (who don’t ride horses anymore, btw) and prepare for fun read. And don’t skip the footnotes.

  2. Jennifer Estep says:

    Thanks! The first title in the P.C. and Kristin Cast series is another book I’ve read recently. I’ll be reviewing it here too. 🙂

    I really love Beauty by Robin McKinley — it’s one of my favorite books — but I haven’t read Sunshine yet. I may have to check that one out.

    I read Good Omens last year. It was very, very funny in places, although it read more like a Pratchett book to me than one by him and Gaiman. But I like both of their works, and it was a good, tongue-in-cheek take on the end of the world.

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