Across the Library

  I read in an interview with Maggie Stiefvater that this book would appeal to both fans of the Disney movie Brave, as this is a sequel to the movie, and to her longtime fans. I happen to be an adult fan of both. I decided to rewatch the movie before reading the book because even though Merida is my favorite Disney princess, I haven't seen the movie since it was released, and I wanted to make sure it was fresh in my mind in case I needed to remember any plot points. This is not necessary though, as readers new to Merida's story can still find enjoyment in the book. It picks up a few years after the movie, and though it does occasionally mention the events of the movie, it is an entirely new story, where Merida, the princess of DunBroch, must spend a year trying to bring change to her family in order to save them after making a bargain with two gods. In a way, I think rewatching the movie first hindered my enjoyment of the book, because for the first half, I kept hearing movie M...

Title: All the Crooked Saints Author: Maggie Stiefvater Cover: The cover artwork reflects two or three aspects of the book. It has a magical feel to it, which certainly fits the book. I like the color scheme and find the cover appealing. Review:  What a strange and magical little book. Well I suppose it's not magic specifically, it's miracles. The book is about the Soria family, who can perform miracles, but not like you'd think. People come to town in search of a miracle, and a Soria, usually Daniel at this point in time, gives them their first miracle. This makes their darkness visable, which is now something the person has to deal with on their own, finding a way to heal themselves for the second miracle. The first miracle, or the darkness, manifests in some fantastical way. For example, one man now has a coyote head. A woman is constantly rained on. The list goes on. These individuals are called pilgrims, and after the first miracle, the Soria family can not in...

Review written on August 7, 2010 ** Mildly Spoilerish** Books 1 and 2 in the Mercy Falls series I read Shiver last year, shortly after it came out.  I did really enjoy the book and even voted to be sure it would appear on the list for the committee I'm on.  However, I always had one problem with the book -the "cure".  No one else seemed as bothered by this as me, but I just can't get past that.  I did like that there was some science involved with why they turned into the wolves when it was cold.  Despite the so-called cure, the book was good, so of course I wanted to read the second book, Linger . Only ten chapters in, I was highly annoyed by the book already.  The moment that Grace said that Isabel was cold and Isabel said it was Grace that was hot, I just knew that she was going to be sick and how she would be "cured".  At first I thought that Sam had gotten her sick somehow, but at least that wasn't the case.  At least what Cole d...