Monday, August 27, 2012

The Drop- Michael Connelly

Days to read: 6 hours

Today was a lazy,rainy day. I finished up another book I was on (non-challenge) and then started the Drop around 2pm. I have to say, I was pretty intrigued from the start. This about a detective who is in a DROP program, which they re-visit cold cases. It starts off with him wanting a case and ends up getting two in one day. One is very politically involved and current and the other is a cold case from 22 years ago. He tries to work both cases at the same time and does it in a way that keeps you hooked. It doesn't get confusing at all and you get caught up trying to figure out both cases! You also get some of the real life scenarios with his daughter and a love interest. It's not a book that's completely all about the cases, but i say this very lightly, it is the premise of the book after all. I really enjoyed this book. It's not the best murder mystery type book out there but it definitely was a good read.  I like that I didn't get bored, like some books will do. You also get a taste of how he is betrayed by his partner and then how they come back from this situation. Also, when he starts to feel  he is out of the game and he should hand in his badge to retire, he realizes what his job is really about and wants to be in for as long as he can.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Tiger's Wife- Tea Obreht

Time to read: 2

Hmm... I'm not quite sure what to say. This book was weirdly interesting? I have to say, I had a hard time following. I was even more shocked to learn the author of this book is younger than I am!
    Anyways, this book is about a girl who is telling stories about her grandfather's life and the stories he's told her. The stories he is tells her, end up coming to life in her actual life. Her grandfather dies and she is on a mission to give free medicine to orphaned children. Her grandmother is convinced that she knew of his disease, which she did, and is mad at her for not telling her. There are little instances during her story that she is reminded of her grandfather and then will tell one of his stories. That's good and all but then in his story, she would go on about a particular person in his story and tell their story. It got a little hard to follow at that point. I don't know why but I felt some of the chapthers in this book were a little confusing. I'm still not quite sure how it ended. I was just lost, I guess. I really didn't care for this book.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Sarah's Key- Tatiana de Rosnay

Time to read: 4 HOURS

That's right!! It took me 4 hours to get through this book. I know that a lot of my other books were the same but because of work, i had to span it over two days. This book is fantastic! I loved it and it's a book that is not a real happy ending but it's full of emotion and makes you think about life and decisions.

    This book flips back and forth (every other chapter) between a little girl during in Paris, 1942 and a journalist in present day. The girl is a Jew and going through the time when Hitler was in charge but his influence in France. It goes back and forth and once you get the little girls tragic story, it stops and it's all about the present day journalist. She ends up on a road to discovery about her family and herself. It's such an sad story but amazing at the same time.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Locked on - Tom Clancy

Time to read: 2 days

This book was my nemesis. It was seriously the book I did not want to read at all. It just did not interest me at all from the description. It was also a pretty big book. Although, it was a faster read than Stephen Kings 11/22/63, which was about equal in length.
    I do have to say, I did not really care for this book. It just didn't interest me and I forced myself through it because I just wanted to be finished with it. He has some interesting plot twists and every few chapters has another characters point of view. I figured out the ending pretty quickly. There are a lot of times it was just plain boring and just hard to get through. There's A LOT of military terms and references. I wouldn't really recommend this book. Sometimes they say not to judge a book by it's cover, in this case, do it.

Friday, August 10, 2012

August SUMMER challenge!

   I recently found the awesome website of GoodReads! Actually, by recent, I mean today. Ha ha. Anyways, I think it's a great thing for readers! I look forward to finding so many more books to read and sharing what I have read. Anyways, there's SO many "book clubs" and that's awesome.
      They have so many different challenges as well. I decided to add one to the month of August. I don't think this is too much to take on with my current challange, since I'm pretty much close to finishing that. I only have to read 3 books because I've read 3 of them this month already. We just fill out the word SUMMER with book titles that start with the letter..

S- Starters- Lissa Price
U- Unearthly- Cynthia Hand
M- Moonlight- Rachel Hawthorne
M- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children-Ransom Riggs
E- Enchanted- Alethea Kontis
R- Rapture- Lauren Kate


:)

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The Next Always- Nora Roberts

Time to read: 3 days

Oh, Nora Roberts... I read her books like crazy throughout high school and a little after. Then I kind of got sick of the repetitiveness... I haven't read a Nora Roberts romance novel in a long time, at least 4 years or so. I do have to say, I missed her. ha ha. I know all of her books start and end the same way. A pair, who are attracted to each other and can't figure out why, fall in love but pretend they aren't, and then have some major event come between them where they "break up" and then get back together and have this great reunion. I have to say, that sounds kind of negative. Even though, I know how it works, I just can't help loving them. You just get so caught up in the stories by situation. I think that's how she gets you. As always, her books are a trilogy or quartet.. You usually can figure out who is going to get paired up by the first book. I do love the bridal quartet. I just love the friendships and how strong they are and how they are always there for each other. This book seems to be going along the same way and I know that once I have some time and finish this challenge, I'm going to finish the trilogy. Although, I get sick of the formula, I love NR books... Weird but true, such as I am.

Wife by Wednesday- Catherine Bybee

Time to read: 2 days

This was actually better than I thought it was going to be. It's a cute romance story. It's about a man who has to have a wife ASAP to meet the demands of his dying father's will. Haven't you read a few books where this is the case? If not, I must read too much. haha. So he reaches out to a company that does match-making and he wants to give 10 million for a one year contract. She really needs the money to get her business really take off. Instead of having another girl, he wants her to do it. No sharing of a bed, no love and just strictly a business proposition. Yeah, fat chance. That never works out! Someone always ends up falling in love. Well, of course, the man who could never be caught, has fallen in love with her. She with him and so the story goes. It is definitely a sweet, quick read. Even though, it's quite similar to a lot of other books I've read, I still enjoyed it.

The Christmas Wedding- James Patterson

Time to read: 1 day

When I checked this book out from the library, the librarian couldn't stop talking about how much she loved this book. I have to say, I had to agree for the most part. It's a quick, fast read and sometimes can be a bit cheesy. It was really heart-warming and a great Christmas feeling story. It's about a women who her husband has passed and children are all out of the house and she keeps in touch through video chats. She decides to tell them all they have to come home for Christmas because she's getting married on Christmas day and tells them it's one of three men. She doesn't even tell the men which one it is, so throughout the story you have to kind of try and figure out like the rest of them which one it will be. This was a great story and very sweet but it wasn't by far one of his best books. I definitely liked some of his other books on my list better.

Sing You Home- Jodi Picoult

Time to read: 3 days

 The story of the book was pretty sad to start. It's about how this married couple has been struggling for children and seven months into her last pregnancy she loses the baby. It ends up breaking her marriage apart and she ends up finding a friend, who she then falls in love with and they try to start a family. They are fighting with for the rights of the embryos left from her marriage and so on. This book was written by the author to support gay rights and personal property. I'm not really going to state what I thought or how I felt or whether or not I liked this book. I'm not going to say whether I do/don't support gay rights. It's a personal opinion and belief and I have the right to feel the way I do. I just feel like anyone can do whatever they want and that's it. None of my business. It's also none of your business on how I feel about the issue. I just don't want to get into all the politics when this was not the point of this challenge. Good Day :)

The Litigators- John Grisham

Days to read: 5

This book had an interesting enough plot but it was just too much "litigation" for me. ha ha. get it? Anyways, it's about a man who ends up leaving his big fancy job to join a small town, low end office and how he ends up fitting in and saving it and so on... I mean, i know people enjoy these books because it was on the top 50 bestsellers but it's just not for me. It's so weird because I liked the Confession by Grisham but didn't like this book as much. I got through it okay but it was just too much court room business for me.

The Confession- John Grisham

Days to read: 3

  I'm not really into books or movies that are all about law cases and litigation. I do have to say, this book was so good. It's about a man who kidnaps, rapes and murders a high school cheerleader. The authorities are convinced her boyfriend the high school football captain is guilty. With no other evidence, he is tried and found guilty and given the death penalty. The guy who actually did it find it amusing that the authorities think they are so amazing for finding the murderer when they are wrong. Nine years pass and they are one week from the execution. The actual guy who is guilty is about to die and decides to do the right thing and confess. They do not want to believe him and he finally has to work had to convince them and tell them where, what and when everything happened, leading them to the evidence. The whole time you are trying to figure out whether they will have enough time to beat the execution of an innocent man. It's got some grey areas but really it's an interesting read.

Only 13 left!!!

So I only have 13 books left on my list!! I have 5 more months so I know it will definitely be  completed before the year is up! I have to say, I loved this idea.I definitely will not be doing it every year because it is a big time commitment. It's like something that looms overhead all year long. I am so glad that I did this because I have found so many more authors that I just thoroughly enjoy. I have also found authors that I don't enjoy as much, no offense, just not my style. I have re-read every book that I have read previously except for the actual Twilight book. I don't know, i do have 5 more months, so we will see.
       As of right now, I have just one book that i have to hurdle and that is Tom Clancy's Locked On. I have checked this book out several times and just never could open it up. It just sounds like a book I wont enjoy and it is H-U-G-E. I know that it will definitely take me a long time to read. I have gotten through the other books that I thought would be difficult and some of them were and some of them I really ended up loving. Like they say, can't judge a book by it's cover. I guess we will have to see if Clancy's is as bad as I think it will be.
         Also, one more thing I want to clear up... The "days to read" are not necessarily accurate. For example, if i say 2 days, it's because I had to work or something else came up and I had to span it out over a couple days. Although, if I had nothing to do, I would have finished in less than 24 hours for sure. Some of them I did, but I can't remember which. I guess I should have written my little info-bits about each book sooner than wait until I'm almost through the challenge. ha ha.

I think that's all for now... I will definitely be doing an update after I'm finished! Can't wait! Only 13 more to go!! Woot Woot!!

The Snow Angel- Glenn Beck

Days to read: 1

I really enjoyed this book! It is a story about a wife who is beaten by her husband. It is about how she struggles with freeing herself from him but keeping her daughter safe from what is going on at home. She ends up re-connecting with old family and finding out how strong she really is and making some life changes. The whole time you are just rooting for this girl to get away from her husband and hope she does so in the end. It is such a beautiful story of how she connects with her daughter and family. It is such a sweet book and very uplifting.

Bossypants- Tina Fey

Time to read: 2 days

 What can I say? It's Tina Fey! It was a bit longer than Ellen's book but I'm pretty sure I liked Ellen's a little more. Tina's book is more of a tell-all about her childhood and how she grew up and how she got to where she is now. Don't get me wrong, she is hilarious! It was definitely a book I really enjoyed. But I liked Ellen's more because hers was just so random. I think most of it is just "journal entries" that she randomly had throughout the years that she decides to share with everyone, unlike Tina's which is more kind of a biography. lol. It's definitely funny and I would have read it even if it wasn't on the list.

Red Mist- Patricia Cornwell

Time to read: 3 days

This book is so amazing! I usually don't like murder-mystery type books, just mystery, but this book I really enjoyed. The whole time you are on a journey trying to find out who committed this huge murder. They have someone in jail, they have suspicions and they end up hiring a medical examiner, Kay, who is just brilliant. Even though her life becomes threatened and those around her are being killed and hurt, she ends up solving this case and it's so intriguing. There are so many options that I didn't figure it out until just about the end. It was a great read and I will have to follow this author since she is making a series off the main character, Kay.

Seriously...I'm Kidding- Ellen Degeneres

Time to read: 1 day

Yep, this was definitely a quick read! I LOVED it though. I am already a huge fan of Ellen. I watch her show everyday, in season, and follow her on twitter. She's just so clever and hilarious? Whatever the word, she has it in this book as well. I wouldn't have doubted that anyways. One of the themes i got, she wants to do a finding nemo 2... ha ha. This is a book any of her fans should read. You will enjoy it! Sometimes I wish i was as cleverly funny as she is.

House of Night Series- P.C. & Kristen Cast

Time to read: 2 days

This is another series that I might be biased in because I already was a fan before I saw the last book was on the list. I've been following this series for quite some time now, probably 4 or 5 years. That would be because there are like 9 books in the series now, with the 10th coming out in October.

These are pretty much based on a young vampire who has to deal with evil vampires. Each book takes you onto a new journey and problem she has to face, such as, love, war, death, evil and good. They are very interesting you do get hooked into the story. These books are good but they are in no way written greatly. Since she co-writes with her daughter there are a lot of references to "in the times" slang and such. At times it can be a bit corny but overall they are great books. I think they are in the process of making this a movie? That will be interesting since there are now 10 books and going to be 12 in all. So we will see how it turns out.

Twilight Series- Stephanie Meyer

Time to read: 4 days

Of course, I had already read these books previously. I did not re-read the Twilight book but I did re-read the Breaking Dawn book. Also, just like all other movies from books, the books are always much better. No difference here with the Twilight Series.

These are really good books, I enjoyed them a lot. I do have to say my favorite book is Eclipse and my least favorite book would have to be Breaking Dawn. I just hate how fast she goes through the Breaking Dawn book. It was so rushed that it was disappointing, to say the least. I do like how she went from Bella to Jacob to Bella's point of view throughout the book but I hate how it is so rushed. I feel like a lot of things are just not explained and there's SOO many new characters and so much going on that you can get lost. I am nervous to see how this last movie turns out. I'm sure they are going to have to add a battle since they definitely don't do that in the book. We will see. Breaking Dawn is definitely my least of the series.

The Infernal Devices- Cassandra Clare

Time to read: 3  days

I have to say, when I saw these on the list, I was so excited! I LOVE Cassandra Clare. She is the author of the Mortal Instruments, which are just about my favorite series! I had wanted to start the Infernal Devices but never had the time. So when I saw the two books in the series on my list, I was stoked. Like the MI series, I love this series as well.

The series is a prequel to the MI series but it's not neccessary to read one before the other. You will have no problem following either series without the other and vice versa.

Clockwork Angel
This book is so thrilling! I love how it's so much more different than the MI series because it's way before the time and they are fighting a whole different war. There are many of the main (older) characters from the MI series in this series. They, of course, are younger and have so much more backstory in this book. I love how it connects the books in this one way. Although, the MI series is more of an Angel-vs- Demon war and this book is more a shadow hunter vs. mechanical (ie. robot) war.

Clockwork Prince
This book carries on the story as the previous book but now you just completely love the characters so much more. They are still fighting this war and in the end there's a huge twist that you just don't know if you should be sad or just plain in awe of how the last book (Clockwork Princess, not out yet) is going to be so amazing. She sets up for some pretty great things to happen and I can't wait to read it! March woot woot!!

I may be a little biased since I'm such a HUGE fan of the MI series but I do have to say she does out-do herself with this prequel. I really enjoyed these books just as much as the MI series and I was a little worried about how she was going to do this. Also, with any author you get nervous when a movie is coming from the books and wonder if they are just doing so for the money.. but i can say, it is not the case with these books. Loved them!!!

Witch & Wizard Series- James Patterson

Time to read: week and a half.

   Really, if I didn't have a job, I could have finished all three books in a couple of days. They are definitely a quick read. They are for teens so they are a pretty easy read. I didn't have the first book on my list so instead of just getting into the series in the middle, I decided to go ahead and start from the beginning. So I added another book to my count that was not on the list.

    Witch & Wizard
This was the first book and I have to say, the plot did keep me interested enough to want to read the last two books in the series. It's about a sister and brother that are being accused of being a witch and wizard (their parents hiding it from them) and taken into custody to be killed. It is about a government that wants to get rid of all those who have abilities or traits of being a witch and wizard. They end up being pretty powerful and get themselves out of the prison. It starts off the book with the two waiting in line to be executed and then takes you back to the beginning of the story. At the end of the book it takes you to the execution again and ... to be continued...

Witch & Wizard: The Gift
   The second book starts off with the execution of the sister and the brother trying to save her. She ends up being killed but not really. She was powerful enough to make them think she was dead. Throughout the book they become like renegades and try to save as many children they can from the prisons and making an army of their own. They start to find out more about their powers and how to use them.

Witch & Wizard: The Fire
This book is about their journey to fight "The One" government and find their parents. Of course you can probably guess how it ends.

These were good books for teens but they weren't great. There are definitely other books in the "teen" group that are better than these. I didn't hate them and didn't love them.. more like a middle ground.. haha.. Anyways, at least they weren't boring! That would have made them difficult to get through!

Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern

Time to read: 2 days

This book was interesting from the get go. It's a very quick read but the plot is catching. It's about how lives can be pre-determined before they even start and how the pride of ones can ruin your life. It goes through all the struggles and complications with a couple and a way for them to find a way out of the lives that were pre-determined for them by their mentors (one is a father). It's a big game and really you wonder how they are going to get out of the game without losing everything.
   I got through this book so quickly just because I had to know how this was going to work out. Not only that, it's a smaller book and I usually get through books pretty fast. It was definitely a book I'm glad I read but not one of my favorites out of all the books I've read so far.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs

Time to read: 4 days

This book is definitely strange. There are a lot of pictures in it that are quite disturbing. I got through the first 2 chapters and became so freaked out i had to hide the book. When it comes to the photos, it kinda freaked me out. I refused to read it and told my husband that I was going to have to quit my challenge or switch out the book. I just couldn't make myself read it.
   He decided that he would read it and see how bad it really was. He got through it in two days and told me that I should read it because if not, i would feel guilty for not really completing my challenge, if i were to switch it out.
   So when he was home, I decided to give it a second go. This book turned out to be a little more interesting the further I got. I didn't quite like it as much as my husband did. There's a lot of strange photos and plot developments that were kind of strange.
    Even though, I'm glad I actually read it, I didn't like it. It was just too hard for me to get past all the creepiness that was in this book! I will say it is a really quick read and I'm sure there are many that would really enjoy it but this book was definitely not for me! That's totally okay though, I knew I wouldn't like all the books from this list. That was kind of the point, find new authors I like and ones that I know I don't like.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Janet Evanovich- Stephanie Plum Series

Time to read: 2 days

I started off this book with the very last book! Explosive Eighteen was the last book and the first I read. I also didn't realize it was a series! I really, really find these books enjoyable. I am now starting my collection of the books so i can read them all!

Explosive Eighteen
   For not knowing this was an actual series, it wasn't that hard to follow. Each book has the same characters and they grow throughout the series but they mainly follow a set of new cases throughout each. Even after reading this book i was anxious for the next book because of the love triangle! I didn't even get all of the storyline and I was excited for the possibilities!

Smokin Seventeen
     I should have read this book before Explosive Eighteen but I wasn't smart enough to put it together haha! I realized in this book that it does carry one case(person) into the next book which makes so much more sense now!

One for the Money
    I watched the movie after I read the book because I really enjoyed the book. I didn't think I'd like it from the previews but I was wrong. See what the world of books can do for you? :) This book is important because it introduces all the characters and the backstories to get you to understand her relationship with them all throughout the books.

I really like these books. They are funny, witty and quite enjoyable! I can't wait to finish my challage and I will be reading the whole series from start! I can't believe there are 10 books so far!!! I also found out she started another series the Lizzie one and I'll look into that after I get through the Stephanie Plum series.

Kill Alex Cross- James Patterson

Time to read: 4 days

I have many books on my list by this author and I have to say, I really enjoy his writing. This is one of my favorite books from my list by him. I know there are a lot of books in this series. I was worried about just being thrown into a series at the end but really, it's kind of not a sequence. It's just a different case with some of the same characters. I didn't realize that some of the books have already been made to movies, which i really enjoyed. So I will definitely be reading more in the Cross series. It's a book about a detective who tries to solve all these cases. I enjoy books like this because I always try to figure out the ending before I read it. Usually, I'm spot on but sometimes I get blindsided :)

The Help- Kathryn Stockett

Time to read: 2 days

I loved this book! This book is mostly in the point of the view of the maid. You get so much more back story and details than the movie, which i also loved. This book makes you question things and it pulls you into the emotions that they feel. It makes you laugh and the same time cry. It's so well written and the story is just so good.
   It is definitely a book I would recommend to everyone! It's also very eye opening!

Hunger Games Trilogy- Suzanne Collins

Total time to read: 6 Days

To be fair, I already had read these books. With the movie coming out, it made me want to re-read them and so I did. I fell in love with these books at least 6 months before I started my challenge. They are really great reads and I know they are a weird concept but it's totally worth giving it a chance. I promise, you'll love them!

Hunger Games
    The first book is packed of SO much information. I will say it is a lot different than the actual movie (better too). It gives you so much background information that you will need throughout the series. It gets you so hooked from the start.

Catching Fire
   This book was my favorite of the three. It has so much going on but the story is just thrilling. You go back to the games and this time the games are much worse. Catniss and Peeta's characters become so much closer in this book too.

Mockingjay
    This was my least favorite. Although, the ending is satisfactory, the book itself is a little disappointing. The book carries you through all these major events so fast. The ending just happens out of nowhere and SO much happens that you really miss out on. At one point, she wakes up and we are so far into the future with a whole different ruler and so on... It just all feels too rushed for me. The ending works but the way the author gets there is not so great.

Overall, I loved these books just like the rest of America. The story just pulls in from the beginning and you don't want to let go. The movie is also really good! Books are always better than movies though.

Stieg Larsson Millennium Series

Time to read all three: a little over a week

I loved this series!  I can say I ended up reading this whole series in a little over a week. That's fast for how lenghty these books are! The story is kind of out there, there are some things that are pretty graphic but really it's quite minor. I know most people have seen the movie, which is good but not the same. As the story goes when it comes to movies from books.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    I will say though, the first 150ish pages of this book were brutal to get through. It was just so boring and so much random information it seemed. Once you passed this part of the book the story became way more interesting and so hard to put down. It opens up a whole can of worms that will come out throughout the series. Besides the opening of the book, it was a great read. It captures you into the story that you don't want to end!

The Girl Who Played with Fire
     This was my favorite book! It's so packed full of technology and turns that keep you fascinated. It really will make you fall in love with the main character, Lisbeth. I remember being through this book so quick and just going to buy the third so i could keep going in the matter of hours.

The girl who kicked the hornest Nest
    This was an amazing ending to the series! It starts off making  you wonder how in the world this girl is going to make it and she again proves how amazing she is. She is kept isolated and still she ends up doing things that save her life and you just wonder in amazement. I'm so glad I read these books because they are just amazing!

11/22/63- Stephen King

Time to read: 8 days

This is my first Stephen King book. I understand why he is such a popular author but he's not for me. This book was one on my list of "not too excited to read." It did take me a bit longer to get through but it was a HUGE book!
    The plot for this book is pretty much great. It was really a great story and I rather enjoyed it. It's about a man who comes upon a place he can time travel back to the same date every time, September 9, 1958. The guy (AL) who shares this time portal wants him to finish what he cannot (he's dying) and keep from Kennedy being assassinated. Al feels if he was not assassinated the world would be in a much better place. He decides to do this and while doing so he takes it upon himself to save the lives of some in his current world. He has to live in this world until he is sure of how to stop the assassination of Kennedy. The thing is, a few years before he is to stop the killing, he ends up in a town and ends up falling in love with a girl and the town. He ends up sharing what he is there to do with her and she tries to help him when the time comes to stop the assassination and ends up being killed. He goes back to 2011 to save her (reset time) and finds it has become a much worse place. I dont want to ruin the ending so that's all I'm going to say!
       In result, the story is great and interesting but the part I dont like is King's style. He DRAGS everything out so much. He has so much detail that it makes the story hard to follow. How can a book have too much detail? Well he managaes it and that is my problem with his book. Maybe I'm just too impatient! hah!

A Game of Thrones- George R.R. Martin

Time to read: 6 days

Game of Thrones

I'm not going to lie, when i saw this on my list, i was not excited. I just think this was more my husbands type of book, which I'm not really into. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. This book does something a little different than most. Each chapter is about one of the characters in the book. There are several characters in this book but you get to glimpse into the thoughts and actions of all the main characters which is awesome. When something happens it always has a way of connecting with the characters that are in the book. Even if they are on opposite sides and so on.
   The only reason it took 6 days to get through this book, besides the length and font size, was that I had many things going on this week that wouldn't allow me to read. I was sucked into the world though. It's so complicated and such a beautiful tale. There are some pretty explicit things that happen from sex to death. He does add a lot of detail to his books and sometimes it can be a little much, therefore takes longer to get through.
   I am really excited for the next book, which is on my list! I'm waiting though because i went ahead and purchased them since I will want to read the whole series and so does my husband! This was a great read and I'm glad because the next one would be awful to get through if not! :)



Time to read: 3 days

A Clash of Kings

   I was sucked into this book, just like the first! I will say this was a big book. 969 pages of small print is a lot to get through! This book continues pretty much exactly where the first book ends. I just love how there are so many characters and plots to this book. At times you think it becomes overwhelming but then it just all clicks.  It amazes me how everyone has their own agenda and the way they plot to make them seem on one side but then really only being on their own. My favorite character so far is of a nine year old girl named Arya. She has her own point of view throughout the books. I'm excited to see where her story goes. I will say, there are so many deaths. I'm a little worried none of these characters will actually make it all the way through the series. I was actually surprised by the fact that the end of this book had a surprised ending! It was pretty exciting though because now the plot thickens... haha :-)