The Kari AnnAlysis

Archive for November, 2009

Released: November 14, 2007

I got this book from the Kelley and Hall book company for review. I was told this book was Stephen King meets J.R.R Tolkein and it was magical. I haven’t read either of these authors, but the book was magical.

There are two stories in this book. One is of Charles and his sister Tanya. Tanya is sick and one of the things to make her feel better is story telling. Every night her father tells them the story of Prince Cha Cha and Princess Ta Ta. This is the second story.

The Prince and Princess are in a bit of a bind. Evil has twisted its way into their kingdom in the form of a traitor. After the Princess is left in the woods, she has to find her way to the greatest wizard in the land. She doesn’t quite find him, but does find herself in an adventure. All the while, the Prince has changed. He’s not bratty and demanding as he used to be, but no one is really sure why. The two have to come together somehow and put their kingdom back in order.

Between story times, Charles and Tanya learn a lot about each other and Tanya’s sickness. Their relationship grows as Charles takes it upon himself to save his sister.

I do like wizard stories, so I was very optimistic when starting this. I thought it was written very well and I really liked how it went back and forth between the two stories. It wasn’t confusing at all, like some stories are when they go between fantasy and reality. You always knew where you were.

I also liked the characters in this story too. There were some that I didn’t like when the story started, but grew to love once I really got to know them. And vice versa of course.

There were many twists in this story that I didn’t expect. Some of them I guessed, but most caught me by surprise.

I didn’t have many complaints about this story, other than the bed time story part may have been a little adult for the kids. The story itself was kid friendly, but there were parts when I had to read and re-read and consult my dictionary. I guess this may actually be genius because it’s on a kid level and adult level at the same time. Kind of like Finding Nemo. If you’re a kid, you love it because it’s fun. If you’re an adult, you get the humor, it’s a win-win.

This is a little darker than I normally read, but I enjoyed it. I give the book 4 bookmarks and will look forward to Ronald Neal Green books in the future.

I am sooo excited for a new challenge in 2010. I had a great time this year reading through the A to Z Challenge and couldn’t wait to find one for 2010. I wasn’t sure what kind of challenge I was looking for, but as soon as I saw this one, I knew.

There are different levels of this challenge. Here they are:

*The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.

*Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.

*Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.

*Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.

I am going to go for the Just My Size YA Reading Challenge. I know I can do more than 12, but so far this year, I’ve only read 47. From Thanksgiving to the New Year, I plan on reading at least 5 more. I am just not sure if I can read 50 YA books. I still like to branch out and mix it up! I can’t wait to start compiling the books! WAHOO!

This week’s tease is from The Duty of Love.

Pg7: “There were recipes for turning all manner of animals into humans and humans into animals and back again. For example, fish into humans, and vice versa, and also snakes and lizards, turtles, birds, wolves (there were many of these), newts, salamanders, frogs, toads, peacocks, oysters, camels, elephants, horses, pigs, flies, mosquitoes, dragonflies, gnats, cats, and even bats, but nothing, absolutely nothing, about rats.”

Don’t we all look for spells like this?? What is your tease?

Today’s Musing Monday is about the holidays!

With the holiday season now upon us, have you left any hint – subtle or otherwise – for books family and friends might buy you for Christmas? Do you like to receive books, or do you prefer certificates so you can choose your own?

I normally don’t make a generic list and tell people to choose. I have a list of 3-4 books for my brother to get me for Christmas at my mom’s house and dad’s house. I usually take this time to update my series. I also have a list for my family at my grandparents house. With this, I will  normally do a series if I can find a box set. I don’t really like surprises when it comes to books. I’d rather know what I am getting.

I am always up for a gift card if someone doesn’t know what to buy me. I’d much rather get a gift card than a generic gift!

What about you?

Published: March 30, 2009

This book is completely different from most I read. I normally read about the filthy rich and all the drama that money can buy. But this takes you to the other end.

Dirty Little Angels is set in the slums of New Orleans. It is told by Hailey, a teenager living in a very dysfunctional family. Her father has been out of a job for 6 months and spends all of his time at the pool hall. Her mother used to be a nurse, but after her miscarriage, she can’t get back into the swing of things. Her brother, Cyrus, is 19 and kind of a trouble maker. He steals, he beats … maybe kind of isn’t the right word. The book follows Hailey as she tries to find out if she really believes in God. To help her with the God part is Moses, a career criminal who takes playing God into his own hands.

I got this book in PDF form from the author, Chris Tusa. Since I sit at a computer for 8 hours a day at work, I printed it out and put it in a binder. I really felt like I was reading some homework for school. It kind of made it fun, took me back a couple of years.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was told from Hailey’s perspective. This is the second book in a row I’ve read that was told from the kid’s point of view. I feel like I get to learn so much more about the characters when you learn about it from a kid/teen. This book was VERY descriptive. Every person you met and every scene you were in, you knew everything about. I really liked this, because I always try to put myself in the scene and this book made it easy.

The guys in this book kind of reminded me of the Boondock Saints, trying to make those who sinned pay.

The book was a pretty quick read. It is only 170 pages (in PDF). I started it Friday night before bed and finished it Sunday night before bed. I don’t think it should’ve been any longer. I liked that it got to the point, and there weren’t wasted chapters. I have read a lot of books in the past year that were 300+ pages and I would have cut it down to 150.

I liked seeing how drama is dealt with in a life that I don’t know about. This family takes problems in their own hands, and doesn’t really worry about the consequences.

I am going to give Tusa’s debut book 4 bookmarks. Although it was heavier than I am used to, I thought it was written well and kept me interested.