Review: Switched

Switched by Amanda Hocking

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This was recommended to me by a co-worker who enjoyed it. I'm so glad she loaned me this book (and the two sequels in the trilogy).

Yes, it's a fluff piece. Yes, it reads at around a high-school level, and seems to be designed to appeal to high school girls. In some ways, it's reminiscent of the Twilight series in that way. However, that is what I like about it.

For me, it's a quick, fun read that lets me escape from reality for a short time. By having books like this available to read during my breaks at work, I am able to take my 15 minutes (or hour lunch) and read my fun fluff, and then go back to work slightly refreshed and ready to once again deal with the crazy people who are separated from me by a counter that is way too damn small.

Sometimes all you need is a little fluff.



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Review: The Plains of Passage

The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I really enjoy this series, but I would say that this is my least favorite of the Earth's Children series. The scenes where Ayla and Jondalar are with other people are great, and truly do carry the book. However, they are few and far between - with good reason. People were few and far between in that era, and when two people are traveling on horseback, they will not run into other people very often.

To fill the gaps, we are given a large amount of descriptions of plant and animal life (much of it repetitive - I did not count how often it's mentioned that different animals lived in different areas and therefore were able to thrive, but it is often enough to feel repetitive). When not marveling at the expansive view of flora and fauna, we are provided with overly descriptive sex scenes - sometimes of the animals, but usually of the people. I don't mind sex scenes in a book, but when I read two scenes that seem almost identical within the same chapter, I wonder if the author simply wanted to fill space. And no matter how wonderful of a lover someone is, the sex will not be perfect every time - yet in this book it is, of course, perfect every time. At times, I felt like I was reading a soft-core porn book - the level of detail provided is simply not necessary each time.

I truly feel that this book could have been much shorter and still have provided the pertinent information, and also been just as integral a book to the series.



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Review: The Red Queen

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I enjoyed this book, but I have to admit that I much preferred the previous book in this trilogy, The White Queen. Margaret's attitude towards everything and everyone, especially as she ages, really grated on me. Regardless of whether that attitude is true to history, it still made it difficult to feel much sympathy for someone who is so full of her own "perfection" in the eyes of God. The first several chapters - before the birth of her son - were my favorites within the book.



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