Speed Reviewing (Books read during RAT)

5 STARS!

A year after the tragedy, Green continues to heal by tending her wildly flourishing garden and collecting the stories of survivors, but she longs for her beloved, Diamond, who has gone missing. After listening to so many voices, Green feels, “There is only one story I want to get to the end of now. Will he come back to me? Will I want him if he does?” Determined to find Diamond, Green consults a series of "witch" like women, who offer lines of wisdom (“Love is an act of will,” “What you dream, you can grow”) that sometimes read like purposeful aphorisms. But Hoffman writes in lyrical, stripped-down poetry that distills both magic and elemental experience into essential, unforgettable words: “He was nothing to me, and then he was everything.”

Loved this one just as much as the first - "Green Angel". I honestly didn't know it was possible to write such beautiful books!  This is like a fairy tale, poetry, you get such wisdom and visions reading these. There isn't really anything more to say - they are wonderful books!

 5 STARS!

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.
Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

Again - just as good as the first (if not better!) "13 Little Blue Envelopes". I loved the characters. I loved traveling around with them. I was seeing the world through Ginny's eyes. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about  this series! Loved them both!

5 STARS!

Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

My 3rd book by Sarah Addison Allen and I have given them all 5 Stars! She is just as good as Alice Hoffman in her writing of Magical Realism. I just love these kinds of books! Magical Realism is fast becoming my favorite Genre! And with Authors like Hoffman and Addison Allen its easy to do!
This book was wonderful - easy to read, hooks you in right away, and very lovable characters!

3 Stars

This story has many of the elements that readers enjoy: three attractive teens, romance, and mystery. Best of all, it has two teen ghosts who can't cross over to the other side until a murder is solved. All of this makes for a quick, rewarding read. Krystal, Sasha, and Jake are African-American teens with normal adolescent issues, but with the added burden of having superpowers that they have not yet learned to control. Krystal, around whom the story revolves, can see, hear, and speak to the dead, which is why Ricky Watson, murdered and dead for a year, contacts her. Jake has superhuman strength, and Sasha has the power to disappear. Together, they form the Mystyx. Each character is called upon to fight a menacing evil that grows stronger each day.

This book was just ok for me. while not bad, there really wasn't anything very original. It read just like any other teen paranormal book. This is part of a series, but I don't think i will be reading the others. Not enough there for me.