Reviews: Demon Princess by Michelle Rowen & The Maze Runner by James Dashner

What a weekend of reading!!!

I started off with The Maze Runner by James Dashner late Friday night/early Saturday a.m.
I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and was recommended Maze Runner by a friend who had actually not read it yet but heard it was a similar thrill ride.

To be honest the similarity is in the fact that it is about children who are being watched by what we may assume is either the world or individuals as they try to survive attacks by monsters and deadly elements. It is the outer shell of the plotline; this is where the similarity for me ended.

The main character, Thomas, is baffled by his memory loss, his arrival in this strange place and the idea that they are trapped there purposely. He immediately wants to ask a million questions, but being the new kid means keeping quiet, learning what you can then assessing your situation. He quickly discovers the Maze that surrounds the place he learns is the Glade. The Glade contains only boys, no girls. One boy a month for two years has appeared. He is the latest. At first he appears to be just like everyone else, but his appearance creates a chain of events that leads him and the reader through a true maze of questions, confusion, mystery, tragedy and discovery.

The Gladers who live in this new world are shocked when on Thomas' second day another kid arrives. This is unprecedented - two kids back to back. Then to the shocker of all shockers: it is a girl. First one in the Glade and rather than bringing a basket of cookies, she holds an ominous note along with bringing a feeling of familiarity that Thomas cannot place.

James Dashner allows Thomas' character to be one the reader will like but also will find wary of. He is a character that is so shrouded in mystery that with his million questions to the Gladers you have a million questions for him. You know that he cannot answer them because he does not know them himself, but you ask aloud as you read nonetheless.

I could not put it down. After the first few disorienting chapters I found myself on a whirlwind. Dashner definitely stands on his own with this one. It takes a wonderful look at how no matter our age survival can determine so much in our lives and the compassion we have can sometimes make survival be much more than black and white.

It is fast paced and a great start to what appears to be a series... yeah, be prepared for: END OF BOOK ONE. Those four words can haunt your dreams :o)

Sunday evening I read Demon Princess Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen.
Talk about going from one extreme to another in books this weekend. Demon Princess is now one of my favorite reads. Michelle has a great knack for simple humor in odd situations. The main character, Nikki, just turned sixteen. Her mother just got remarried and they just moved to Canada (miles away from her old town). Due to her mother being on her 4th husband, transition is typically the norm for Nikki. Though she is about to learn what real transition is.

Nikki finds herself best friends with the most popular girl in school, Melinda. Melinda is beautiful, wealthy, funny and truly desires to continue being Nikki's best friend. Melinda has set up Nikki with the most popular guy in school. Everything in Nikki's life so far sounds pretty good, especially considering she is the new girl.

Not so fast. For teens it is never perfect, but for Nikki it is forever complicated. A guy shows up tells her that the father she has never met is a Demon King and requests her presence in his world - the Shadowlands. Yeah, imagine that while you do your geometry homework. From here forward you get a lovely taste of teen aggrivation, parental superiority, young love, self discovery and some great action.

This fun, thrilling ride was easy to read, easy to love and easily a series that is going to slip into my favorite pile. I cannot wait for Spring 2010 when we get Reign Check. I just recently discovered Michelle's books (check out her adult novels as well - especially the Immortality Bites series) and have truly enjoyed every one I have picked up. She is also great to follow on Twitter & Facebook (@michellerowen ). Be sure to pick this one up!

Roll Tide Roll

*click on the 'little' pictures, they are panoramics...I took those with my phone*
OMG!

Heart. Stops. Can't. Breathe.

Ball. Kicked. Ball. Blocked. Wait... BALL BLOCKED!!!! "Mount Cody" rose out of trenches so deep and pulled 350 pounds of heart & talent high enough to make sure Lincoln's attempts at field goals never make it higher than Alabama's Mountain.

Alabama makes me realize how quickly a game can make your heart stop, your breath catch in your throat and your vocal chords reverberate husky sounds meant only for grunting gorillas!

We won today. Our favorite game - Third Saturday in October (for some reason it is the 4th this year). The Vols fought hard, we had bad play calling, but good players....

Oh the drama!

Roll Tide

Bama 12

Tennessee 10

Now I must soothe my throat and enjoy the shell shocked state of victory... GO BAMA!

Weekly stop at the bookshop yields a surprise

Yay! It is FRIDAY!!!

Normally I take a weekly stroll through a local bookstore on Sunday and grab anywhere from 2 to 4 books to read for the upcoming week. Well this week, my glorious husband mentioned the bookstore... oh how I love him..

Well this week I am excited to say my purchases include:

Michelle Rowen's Demon Princess: REIGN or SHINE

I have heard great things about this book and am so excited to read it! I absolutely adore her adult series. Yippee!!!! This one is about a 16 year old girl who discovers a truly interesting family secret, oh you know the usual: Mom's normal, daughter seems okay until weird things happen at 16th birthday, Dad actually is a demon king... You know, everyday high school issues ;0) This is the reason I love to write: exploration & creativity!

Next up:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

This bok was recommended by someone who said if you enjoyed Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins you will love this. Well, we shall see. I am a huge Katniss fan so lets see if this one is able to be a comparison or if it opens the door to new horizons.

It is about kids who wake up with no memory of anything but their name. They awake in a place called the GLADE. It is a place that is enclosed by massive stone walls. Also, it is only boys. Then one day the first girl enters the GLADE. Thomas the main character appears to be about to discover he might have the key to discovering the maze that surrounds the GLADE but it will mean exploring his now empty mind.... Interesting.

X

*the picture will not show up - me & my phone may have to have a talk later!*

The Shadow Dragons by James Owen

Oh how surprised I was to find this out on the shelf. It is set to drop on October 27 and thankfully someone probably did not mean to put it out this early, but oh well. ;o)

I am so excited to continued the wonderful journey of the Imaginarium Geographica series!

Our story continues as the Caretakers are trying to save the two worlds! Classic charactes intertwine with new ones in this great adventure series! It is a MUST read for anyone!

Ahhh!!! Football this weekend, food and new books. OH HOW WONDERFUL the WEEKEND IS!!!!!

I will let you know how they both turn out! If you don't find an entry or a TWITTER from me this weekend perhaps it will speak of good reading.

Contest for a TWILIGHT BRACELET at Tynga's Urban Fantasy

For all those lovers of Team Edward OR Team Jacob, Tynga over at Tynga's Urban Fantasy Reviews is giving away an awesome charm bracelet! It was donated by CHARM FACTORY. They have some really cool Twilight items if you want to window shop or get something for the upcoming NEW MOON premiere!!! LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY!!!


All you have to do is click this link and see the requirements:

http://tyngasreviews.blogspot.com/2009/10/charm-bracelet-giveaway.html

Ooooooh I hope I win!!! *crosses fingers* *grins*

Morning Breath vs the Memory of a Dream....

It never ceases to amaze me how vivid dreams appear. If only I could just project them by saying a magic word or blinking 3 times. Then there are my fragment dreams, not as vivid but with poignant parts that I NEED to remember & write down. Alas sometimes though 'morning mind' is not helpful.

You see there is that moment between sleep and awake where a little voice says "Hey that is a good plot idea/character trait/hot guy that needs to find its way into my writing journal." But there is also that voice that says "What? Oh its morning. Yeah, need to brush teeth now." The problem is sometimes the two talking over one another blurs out the vision. So I find myself writing down:

"I think I had a good dream. Morning Breath disagreed with me today."

Yeah... that was this morning. I did jot down a few things that I am pleased were allowed to pass through the haze of waking up. I dream every night. I remember something if not all of it everyday. It can be intimidating to remember so much or to see so much sometimes. Thankfully it is rare that I ever dream about someone I know. Weird, huh? It is almost always character based. So the little snippet that I wrote down is more of a character trait that I liked. But oh my memory tells me she had so much more to offer, but Stinky Breath said she was boring. So we will see. It is often that I have recurring characters in dreams so maybe if she reappears I will get another chance to see who was right...

For now, I must take comfort in knowing that even though Morning Breath ruined that thought, I am about to ruin Morning Breath with the powerful Trusty Toothbrush....

My First Blog AWARD!!!!

Thank you so much Shannon from Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe ( http//ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com ) !

It is such an honor to be recognized... and now my thanks to the little people... ahem... anyway.... ;o)

I was flabbergasted (love that word by the way) when I saw my name listed.

Okay, I understand there are some attached duties to this award so here they are:

And now: The Rules for the winners

1. Copy the Kreativ Blogger picture and post it on your page

2. Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog

3. Write seven things about you that we don't know

4. Choose seven other bloggers that you would like to give the award to

5. Link to the bloggers that you choose

6. Let the winners know that they have the lovely award.

Okay, so the first two are done. Here's number three...

Seven Things You Don't Know About Me

*this is going to be hard - I am such an open book due to blogging.....

1. I sneak homemade sour cream & onion popcorn and Fiddle Faddle toffee popcorn into the movie theater....yeah I know "No Outside Food or Drink" but while I may be an impulse shopper on books, shoes, purses, jewelry, clothes & just about everything else; popcorn is something I am cheap AND picky about.

2. I cannot wear jeans anymore without being extremely uncomfortable. Oh the sad day. My scar from last year is the culprit. The zipper line runs right down it & I must say 'soft & comfortable' is not descriptive of denim and zippers. :o(

3. I once rode a pig... after prom... outside a limo.... formal attire optional... you really have to be from the deep south to understand this one....

4. I drove home in only a wet bra & panties after a 'war' with my classmates and an older class caused my clothing to be covered in ketchup, flour, eggs, mustard, honey, salad dressing, sardines, and toilet paper...again deep south...Lord help us... ;o)

5. I know the rules of the sport, have agreed to participate of my own free will, and have enjoyed the participation of.....armadillo hunting

6. I crave a true cottage in the woods to live in one day. (maybe I am a witch just searching for the breadcrumbs of little children... muahahahahahahah....then again I could just be looking for seven dwarfs to do the housework)

7. I hate the following movies: Message in a Bottle, Hope Floats, Nights in Rodanthe, and HOT ROD. First three - SO depressing, Last one - SOOOOOO STUPID!

Okay that is much harder than you originally expect! Geez.

Now to pass this award on to fellow bloggers who I LOVE to visit. Each one is unique, interesting, and worth a glance for various reasons.

(Even though 3 of them are family, that did not rule the decision, it was more that sometimes you think that following a blog of someone you know as family would be boring or redundant. No, it actually allows a view of someone you *think* you know but really have only ever scratched the surface of their personality)

Annies Eats ( http://annies-eats.com/ ) Okay, Annie posts about food. She blogs on trying new recipes, the recipe itself, how it turned out & the response she received. Let me tell you, if you stop by browse her past entries - this girl makes my mouth water every single post!)

Barefoot Weaver ( http://barefootweavercait.blogspot.com/ ) OME! This blog showcases a designer I found on ETSY.COM who makes the most beautiful scarves, wraps, wristbands, etc. So talented and so fun... especially since you can own her pieces.

The Edhegard Family ( http://edhegardgirls.blogspot.com/ ) Cutest little girls & their adventures with family and friends. (The blogger is one of my best friend has a knack for keeping us all up to date on her two daughter's lives with adorable pictures and mini stories. It is never not a fun stop at this one)

Lemons & Lemonade ( http://tracypulley.blogspot.com/ ) Okay I mean the name: LEMONS & LEMONADE, doesn't that already make your day better with its classic concept of positive thinking? Okay this one features the comings and goings of my other best friend. Her honesty is what will make you click on her in your blog roll every time. She is a southern girl at heart & a kindred spirit I discovered ten years ago. A Seattle girl first, then BAMA engulfed her senses and now she lives in the Midwest...I know we are trying to get her back down here again, we will, we will.

Preppy Southern Princess ( http://preppysouthernprincess.blogspot.com/ ) Okay those that know me will link on this blog see the TENNESSEE orange T and run back to me going WHAT? But this young girl is blogging about life as Tennessee Volunteer Sorority girl and also just about being a southern princess. I mean come on we are both royalty. Even though our armies fight one another every year (interestingly enough this weekend coming up) I still respect her blogging about her realm. She really seems to be so sweet & I love some of her entries. They are perfectly fitting to her age & current state in life. It is refreshing and reminiscent in some ways...

Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris ( http://vivianmarieaubinduparis.blogspot.com/ ) This is a friend I discovered through her wonderful first book. Not only is it a great read, but she is also a wonderful person. I found a friend, a fellow writer (congrats to her on being a published one - I hope to one day join the ranks!), a lover of good books, fellow twitter fan, SUPERNATURAL lover, SteamPunk fan (which is really cool by the way) and an all around genuinely nice person.

Watson6 ( http://watson6inga.blogspot.com/ ) Okay this is my sister. Yeah...note she has not updated in a month... this award is what I am calling: YOUR NOTE TO UPDATE YOUR FUN BLOG!!! lol Really though she is a mother of four and when the entries are there they are definitely entertaining. She has 2 boys & 2 girls (12 & under - no twins) God Bless her....

Now please note that my blogroll on the left is full of tons of other blogs who I did not send this too, please do not hold that against them. Peruse the list, find a new book lover, another cook, cakes to that make you laugh so hard coke comes through your nose, or maybe just link to keep up with the entertainment industry. No matter which blog you choose each has its on pros & cons. Maybe one of them will win an award from you!

Oh a very special note about the blogger who gave me mine. Shannon's blog is cheeky, honest, and so much fun to read! I hate we missed each other at Project Book Babe but am so glad to have discovered her now!

Finally done. Now scoot, go give some awards, type a post that leaks embarrassing things we did not know about you...come on... git! ;o)

MY 3 a.m DATE WITH A FIRE ALARM!!!

Okay this is just crap!

Recently I commented on Shannon Messenger's blog about those pesky dates with insomnia. Well karma came and sat by my keyboard last week. You see my 3 a.m. 'friend' had been MIA for about a week... then last night he came with bells on! Actually with high pitched, make my dog shake and crawl up onto my chest in the middle of the night bells.

Our battery in the master bedroom smoke alarm decided to die out at 3 a.m. last night/this morning. Universal smoke alarm SS-790 decided that my insomnia's nice easy wake up and sit around had been leading me into a boring relationship, so it decided that not only would we bring insomnia back over for a sip of cran-grape juice but also made the choice to add horrible musical atmosphere! Oh and by the way the Universal SS-790 and I came to terms with who really is the boss....

This is what kills me: Marcus actually slept through the first 11 beeps, my dragging of the ladder, my cursing as I could not find the batteries with a flashlight, then the cursing as I stubbed my toe on the bedpost. However he did not sleep through Peanut climbing under the covers and literally trying to burrow into Marcus' back as he slept.

one hour later and one serious talk with a 9 volt battery, my date continued until 4:45 but the music stopped. The best part about this date was that it occurred with a beautiful open sky full of stars. I stepped outside after getting my juice and from the deck saw such a beautiful heavenly space that my heart actually melted a little for my date. He may pop up at the worst time with terrible choice in music and cause me to be very grumpy at work; but every now and then he lets me in on those secrets of the night...

Guess where I spent the last day....

Yeah....lovely new jewelry, dontcha think? I am supposed to wear them for 24 hours in case I have to be re-admitted.....

I just spent a day & half in the wonderful Northport DCH hospital. Again thinking that I had a kidney stone (same thought as last year) - terrible pain, cannot sit still, tears flowing, bowled over pain on my right side.

They hook me up with fluids on an IV, give me some pain meds because of course it sounds like textbook kidney stone, right? Wrong... again.

After an uncomfortable-must-not-move-a-single-centimeter CT Scan & ultrasound; guess what? A cyst on the only ovary I have left. Thankfully this cyst is not the size of a football like last years ovary killing cyst monster. This cyst though large enough for me to pinpoint exact location due to pain is small enough that they want it to absolve itself or to pop.
Yes - pop. Yuck. I understand that if it pops I will feel a sharp pain then the pain should slowly subside. If it absolves itself it will happen more slowly and I will feel mild to sharp pain for an extended amount of time....yeah the difference between the two is so vague that even the pain meds make more sense.

So in the time that I was at the hospital (Late wednesday night until Thursday afternoon) I was shot up with some serious amounts of Phenegran(no idea how to spell) & Demoral. Both cheeks have more than one mark left from the shots. ;o(

They sent me home with some serious oral pain meds but with the addendum that if the pain shoots back up to an 8 or 10 on a 1-10 scale again, please return to the hospital. Yeeeaaaahhhh... My doctor hopes that this one will pop or pass on its on. With me they try to avoid any type of incision, be it traditional or laproscopic.

The major learning curve in this entire episode: Due to last years abnormal cyst attack I now am more prone to have problems with cyst. Especially during ovulation. Meaning they said this could happen once a month, every month. Okay little cramps related to cysts I can handle - cysts that make me feel like the butcher knife and the baseball bat are learning how to spar while dancing on my right side - not so welcome in this house!

Sorry for the alarmingly descriptive body rant in this post, I think the meds are making me a little *witchy* today. Anyway, I will grumble and gripe to the dog while he keeps me company during my awake hours today...Have a wonderful weekend.