Book Review: Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The Education of Bet was a quick, delightful read with likable characters and a sweet romance that no doubt put a big dopey grin on my face the entire time I was reading this book. I couldn’t help but admire the main character Bet’s spunk and determination to attend a school and receive a higher education despite the many obstacles that stood in her way, one being that she is a woman. Bet has the misfortune of being born in a time when women were not afforded the same opportunities as men. However, when she learns that her closest friend Will desires to join the army instead of attending the Betterman Academy, Bet devises a plan to take his place, allowing them both to pursue their dreams. This little adventure would not be possible of course, if both Bet and Will didn’t share some physical characteristics and if their guardian, Will’s great uncle, weren’t almost completely blind. After much preparation, Bet is on her way to learning Latin, mathematics, and how to convince a bunch of teenage boys that she is every bit the man that she claims to be.   

One of the highlights of this novel is the relationship between Bet and her roommate James. Both are oddities at this school, content to study or read during their leisure time when most boys would be drinking, smoking, or brawling. James sees in Bet someone he can really talk with and relate to, while Bet finds in James a companion whose honest and loyal friendship has made living with a bunch of unruly boys bearable even in the worst of times. However as their bond grows stronger, Bet comes to the realization that what she feels for James is more than just mere friendship. Her relationship with her floor mates by comparison is nowhere near as congenial or civilized. While Bet may look a great deal like Will, she is still a bit smaller and more feminine than most of the other boys. This makes her a target for bullies and I must say, given her unique circumstances, she handled their bullying admirably and with a sense of humor.

As much as I enjoyed this book, the truth is that everything was tied up a little too neatly in the end. When a girl is masquerading as a boy at an all boy school, certain problems or obstacles are bound to arise. Changing clothes in front of other boys, dealing with her monthly cycle, and playing in full contact sports are just some of the issues that Bet must deal with in the course of this tale. What I found to be the most frustrating was that all of these obstacles were explained away rather easily and created very little conflict for the main character. It is expected in stories such as these that one or two people are bound to discover the main character’s true identity and when this inevitably happens in Education of Bet, I was surprised by how easily these people accepted her situation. The reaction to Bet being a girl was met with either shrugged shoulders or encouragement. I don’t know about all of you, but if I found out that a girl was masquerading as a boy at an all boy school I would feel a tad bit concerned for her well being, especially given the time period that this story takes place in! If it weren’t for the short length of this novel and the lack of any real conflict, I would have rated this book a little higher.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

In My Mailbox #5

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Every Sunday you post what books you've received that week, whether it was through the mail, at your local library, or purchased at the store. 

Books I Bought:

Books I Borrowed from the Library:

    

For Review (Thanks Eric Smith!):

Follow Friday and Book Blog Hop!

Hello everyone and welcome to my brand new book blog! Reading YA, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance is a passion of mine and on this blog I will post my reviews and hopefully discuss books with all of you! Happy hopping!

 

"Who do you cheer for?"

In all honesty, I don't watch sports and I probably never will. If ever I was going to cheer for something, it would be for every time a new book comes out that I've been dying to read! Perhaps my lack of love for watching sports stems from all those painful years of trying and failing to get into shape!

 

 

 

To come...

Book Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

I wasn’t ‘wowed’ or moved to tears while reading Fixing Delilah, but it was a decent read that emphasized the importance of family and forgiveness. After the death of Delilah’s grandmother, the main character, her mother and her aunt set out for Vermont to try and piece back together what is left of their broken family. Delilah has very few memories of her summers spent in Vermont with her grandparents, for all the joy she experienced with them growing up is overshadowed by the memory of her grandfather’s funeral and the fight that kept her family apart for the last eight years. The mystery of this tale surrounds the source of the family feud, the truth about Delilah’s father, and the mysterious death of the aunt she never knew. Amidst all this drama and despair there is a light romance between Delilah and her childhood best friend Patrick, but their relationship isn’t the focus of this novel so much as it is an attempt by the author to lighten the mood from time to time.

I felt the pacing in this book could have been a little better considering that not much happens in the first half of the novel. Like Delilah, I became frustrated every time she approached her mother or her aunt demanding answers, only to be brushed off or ignored. Perhaps the mother’s constant evasion of her daughter’s obvious need to know more about her family was a way to keep the readers in suspense until the big reveal, but honestly every time Delilah’s mother would dodge a question or avoid the issue, it made me feel like the story was going in circles, doomed to never deviate from its set course. The romance between Delilah and Patrick in comparison seemed rushed. Given that the two spent eight years apart it didn’t take long for them to take their friendship to the next level.

The parts I found the most interesting were when Delilah is desperately trying to make sense of memories of her grandmother that would come to her suddenly and unexpectedly when she would pick up an old jewelry box or glance into a room. I also enjoyed the scenes where Delilah learned about the aunt she always longed to meet from the pages of the diary she left behind. Learning what her aunt’s life was like before she died and how much she meant to those who loved her were probably the most heartbreaking and touching scenes in this book. I have to admit that there were also moments between Delilah and Patrick that twisted my heart just a bit, but I would have preferred that their relationship developed gradually instead of the instant connection that occurred. 

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Book Review: The Greyfriar Vampire Empire

What is great about The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire is that it is a refreshing take on vampire lore. In this book vampires do not sparkle like jewels, burst into flames in direct sunlight, or increase their numbers by feeding humans their demon blood. Rather, the vampires in this tale are a powerful race that has always existed deep within the forests and far beneath the bowls of human cities. They waited centuries for their chance to take their rightful place on the surface, but the opportunity did not arise until humans began to lose their faith. Religion, magic, and prayer no longer held sway with the masses and technology became a thing of worship. Humans had made themselves vulnerable to attack because their machines were no match against such unimaginable strength.

One of the most intriguing questions brought up in this book is that if vampires need humans to survive indefinitely, which race is the stronger of the two species? When vampires rose up and conquered entire continents, they drove those who survived the slaughter into the south. Humans found sanctuary in the tropics and over time rebuilt their government and repopulated their cities. Humans don’t need vampires to survive and even in the darkest of times were able to band together and rebuild what they had lost. The main character, Princess Adele is the key to uniting the free nations in the war against the vampires, and it is her journey that makes this story really remarkable.

Adele starts out a naive, pampered princess who never ventured far beyond the castle walls and by the story’s end becomes a mature, resourceful woman worthy of taking the throne. Her transformation begins when she is abducted by a faction of vampires determined to incite a war with the south. Her companion, the legendary vampire hunter Greyfriar, goes to great lengths to free her from their clutches, but if Adele is to survive her imprisonment, she must learn to rely on her own strength. Greyfriar’s actions at first seem to stem from a sense of honor, but the further readers delve into the story, the more it becomes clear that the Greyfriar is not what he seems.

The relationship between Adele and Greyfriar was my favorite aspect of this story. They start out as strangers, but eventually develop a bond that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking to read. Greyfriar possesses many secrets, but through their travels, he opens up to Adele and their tentative alliance blossoms into an unforgettable romance. If you’re looking for a steampunk fantasy with an original premise, imaginative world building, and a romance that will leave your heart aching for more, then The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire is not to be missed!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Book Blog Hop!

Hello everyone and welcome to my brand new book blog! Reading YA, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance is a passion of mine and on this blog I will post my reviews and hopefully discuss books with all of you! Happy hopping!

 

"What book influenced or changed your life? How did it influence/change you?"

The two series that changed my life would have to be Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton. When I was really young I would read all the time because I had an older sister who loved to read and she had entire bins full of books that I could explore. When I got to high school though, I stopped reading for pleasure. I discovered the Harry Potter books some time later and from the first book I immediately fell in love with the world and the characters. Harry Potter helped me to rediscover my love for books! The Anita Blake series introduced me to the wonderful world of urban fantasy! 

Laura's 'Stay'cation and IMM Christmas Special!

My staycation is at its end which means I must get out of my pajamas, stop eating leftover Christmas cookies, and get off my lazy butt! You're probably wondering what I did on my staycation, but before I tell you I should warn of all of you that I was quite the couch potato :o)

1. A person cannot truly be on a staycation unless she/he commits to watching a lot of TV! Luckily, I had Doctor Who and the Winchesters to keep me company. Time travel and demon hunting has never been so much fun!

2. No staycation could be complete with out video games, so it's quite possible that I wasted many hours hurtling very angry birds, collecting bananas, and getting harassed by a game show host in a truly hideous red suit.

 

3. Don't worry, I read some books too! Geez, what kind of book blogger would I be if I didn't read any books on my staycation?! I fear I may have lost some precious reading time on Christmas and New Years though, but I took advantage of the time I had left and managed to finish three fabulous books! I'm slowly, but surely working on writing my reviews and I will hopefully have at least one of them posted by the end of this week!

Curious what I read? Of course you are! Well have a look...

 

 4. The best staycations fall around the holidays, which mean that I got to open presents! Want to know what I got? All you have to do is follow the rabbit down the rabbit hole... errr... or just take a peak at what's IMM :o)

In My Mailbox Christmas Special!!!

I got lots of wonderful goodies on Christmas, including a toaster oven and a new flat iron, but this is a book blog darn it! So for this Christmas special I will only be showing you the books I got! I mean, did you really want to see a picture of my flat iron? I didn't think so! Then again, there was this one gift that I got from my wonderful, handsome, and overly generous boyfriend that I would like to share with all of you. Even if it's not technically a book, I can still read books on it...

Now as you look at this picture, I want you to imagine that the opening theme to Star Wars is playing! To say that I was shocked to receive an iPad is a bit of an understatement, especially considering that I asked for a kindle! The way I figure it though, this is something that my boyfriend and I can share. The fact that I've already caught him sneaking off with my iPad on several occasions only strengthens my belief that this new toy was meant to be enjoyed by both of us :oP

Books I received this holiday season:

 

If you have not read any of these books what are you waiting for?! They're awesome! Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this post! I only have a few precious hours left of my staycation and I'm going to spend that time reading! I can't wait to catch up with all of you and see what I missed! Before I go back to reading though, their is just one thing I need to do...