Super Six Saturday

My  favorite time travel novels. 

1. Ruby Red by  Kerstin Gier. This is one of my favorites books of all time. I wish it could be translated faster or that I read German. The second book is out but the third and last book comes out in October 2013.  Rating 5 foxes
2. Timeless by Alexandra Monir.  I loved this book. I loved how it compared New York of 1910 with present day New York.  The story has some bitter sweet moments and it ends in a cliff hanger but the second book is out so you wouldn't have to wait.  Rating 4 foxes
3. Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough.  What a fun book! My sister recommended this to me and I  read it in one sitting. The sequel  is even better. I like that there is only 2 books and that they are both out. No waiting.  Rating 5 foxes
4. Hourglass by Myra McEntire. A mix of romance and mystery, my favorite kind of book. Rating 4 1/2 foxes
5. Tempus by Tyra Lynn.  This book started slow and sometimes  the way the author described time travel was confusing. But it was worth the read.  Wonderful ending that leaves you craving more. Although who knows when the next book will be out. It was set to be released January 2012 but the author had some things come up in her life so it has been postponed.  Rating 3 1/2 foxes
6. The Hourglass Door by LIsa Mangum. This is a love it or hate it book and of course I loved it. My dad recommended this book to me because the author is from Utah, my home state. I was on a camping vacation and finished the first book. I made my husband drive me into to town to buy the second so I could keep reading.  Well developed entertaining story.  Awesome author to meet in person.  All three books have been released. Rating 5  foxes

Tiger's Curse

Tigers Curse
By Colleen Houck

Foxy Quick Notes
Little did Kelsey Hayes know that working for the summer at a local circus in town would turn her life upside down. Mysterious things happen to her when she grows attached to a white circus tiger. Suddenly this white tiger is not only a tiger but a product of a 300 year curse. The once tamed tiger becomes a young man named Alagan Dhiren Rajaram. Kelsey is faced with a choice to help Dhiren (Ren) break the curse and travel all the way to India or to stay with her adopted family in Oregon. What will Kelsey chose?

My skinny on Tiger's Curse
I loved this book. All of the characters were thought out so well. Once you crack open this book, the pages will leap with adventure and leave you with a craving for more. A unique aspect about this book is when Colleen, the author, finds a way to tap into the beauty of India and the many beliefs of Hinduism. I had a blast glimpsing into a different world when i read this book.
The movie rating for this book would be PG. There is little romance, a ton of action, and little to no language.
I give this book 5 out of 5 foxes. You'll enjoy savoring this book.
Camille

Super Six Saturday.
I'm not the best writer out of the three of us that post on this blog. So this is my cheat way to say what books I like without having to write a long review.
Favorite Fairy Tale retellings:

1. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley.  My sister recommended this book to me and I loved it.  I've reread it many times.  Rating 5 foxes
2. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George.  This book is a retelling of the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses.  Galen, the hero of this book, is one of my favorite male characters. I love Jessica Day George books but this is my favorite.  Rating 5 foxes
3. The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson. A Snow White inspired novel.  I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say I found this to be a wonderful retelling.  Rating 4 foxes
4. Enchanted by Althea Kontis. Based on the Princess and the Frog with a bunch of other fairy tales mixed in.  It was a good book but a little confusing at times with so many characters.  I enjoyed it but I did find myself rereading paragraphs to try and make sense of things.             Rating 3 1/2 foxes.
5. Entwined by Heather Dixon. Another retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses.  I loved this book.  I have a hard time comparing this to Jessica Day George's because they both do a great job in different ways.  George's is a better romance but I loved the family relationships in Dixon's version.  I hope the author comes out with another book soon. Rating 4 foxes. 
6. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. This is a wonderful very well written book.  I read this to my daughters and they loved it too. I highly recommend it to anyone that loves reading fairy tales. Rating 5 foxes. 

The Host

The Host
By Stephenie Meyers

Foxy cliff notes
The world has been over taken by an alien species, called the "Souls". The "Souls" are a parasitic alien race, who believe they have a mission to force the human race to live in peace, by using the human body as a host.
Not all of the human race are keen on being a host and go into hiding.  Melanie Stryder is one of these humans in hiding and she has lived in harsh conditions with her boyfriend, Jared and brother, Jamie. On one of their gathering trips into the city Melanie gets caught by the souls. But to prevent herself to becoming one of them she jumps to her death. Unfortunately, the aliens revive her body and implant an alien named Wanderer into her. Wanderer, now has all of Melanie's memories and is instructed by the souls to find the other humans. As Wanda, the Wanderer, is trying to unlock Melanie's memories and Wanda develops feelings for a young man she has never met before. Also she is able to find the other humans but is always in conflict with Mel. Will the "Souls" find where Wanda is? Will Wanda help the humans and betray her own race?

My Skinny on The Host
With this book going onto the big screen this month, I thought it would be fun to do a book review on it. The Host is a good book to read. There are 2 love triangles, action, some dull parts, and much more. If you were a fan of the Twilight series this book is not at all like it. Don't get your hopes up. With that said, I thought it was an interesting read. I almost liked it better then the Twilight series. It is written with context geared to an older age. I would rate this book PG-13 by movie standers. There isn't a lot of bad context, but there are adult philosophies (deep thinking).
I rate this book 3 out of 5 Foxes. Only because I have read better books.

Camille Ridd

Brightly Woven

Brightly Woven
By Alexandra Bracken

Cliff Notes
Sydelle, a young girl who lives with her family in a desert village called Cliffton, aches to be more than a sand harvester  She wants to see the kingdom and learn how to be an expert weaver. Unfortunately, she feels she is stuck in Cliffton, until one day she meets a wizard, North, who saves her. North is granted one thing from the Cliffton Village, because North brought information about a neighboring kingdom who was going to invade their village. North chooses Sydelle as his token for his service. As North and Sydelle try to get important information to the Queen, they battle other wizards and harsh weather. Sydelle also finds out more about herself. Could she be magical? Could she be the cause of all the storms that follow her?

My skinny on Brightly Woven.
I loved this book. It was a super clean read, had fun characters, and it was surprising that it was Alexandra's first book, she had ever published. I would recommend this book to any age group above age of 10.
The movie rating would be around a G-PG movie. There are a lot of  adventures that North and Sydelle go through that keeps your attention. It is also a faster read.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 Foxes.
Camille

Mistress of Mellyn

I read this book a long time ago and decided to give this book another go.  I am a sucker for Gothic romance novels.  Give me a moody moor, a mysterious and haunted castle, a cranky but handsome Master, and a young  naive governess and I will suck up the atmosphere like water in sand.   I thought this book would cure my fix for my Gothic romance.

Martha Leigh is a young woman of gentle persuasion  forced to work in the only line of employ available to women of her social status, as a lonely governess.  She makes it clear that she is not in the least happy about this.  She is however, determined to make the most of this.  The entire book she clearly is fighting against her status that society, her aunt, and even herself, has placed upon her.  She was annoying.  Ms. Holt tried very hard to make this book like Jane Eyre, but I kept waiting for the spooky part, but it never came.  The Master was never really convincing enough as a brooding sort of chap, he came and went in the book, and I had to wonder where the art of romance was in this book.  The love affair was flung at you as an after thought, and you were left wondering if they ever really loved each other at all. And the villain?  PLEASE.

Overall, this book disappointed and left me flat.  I am now moving on to higher Gothic moors.

I would give this book 2 out of five foxes.

Emily

Gone

Gone
The final book in the Wake Trilogy
By Lisa McMann

Cliff Notes
After Janie solves a major case in the Fade and has a rocky relationship with Cabel, things finally seem to be getting back to normal.  In Gone, she discovers who her father is, and that he is a Dream Catcher.  The main point to this book is she is faced with a decision to become like her father, a  hermit; or like Miss Stubin crippled in a wheel chair.  What will her choice be?

My skinny on Gone
I really didn't like this book.  Gone was too dramatic for me in the sense of personal issues of the characters.  I missed having Janie working on cases.  In this book, she is just a big baby.  I got bored.  I actually skipped to the end chapter and read Janie's decision.
My movie rate of this book is PG-13, because of language and adult content.
I rate this 1 out of 5 foxes.  Don't waste your time.
Camille