Twilight: Life or Death Review of Snark

So here we are. The review. Back when Twilight was a thing, I decided to martyr myself and read it for the sake of being able to completely state my opinion of it without being accused of not reading it. And now, for some stupid reason, I decided to read this one too, because I can’t help my curiosity. Not because I thought it was going to be better, mind, but just to see how much worse it would be. And boy, was it worse. Meet Beau, aka Male Bella. Stephanie states that 5% of the changes she made to his book was because Beau was a boy. Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that just wasn’t enough. He is pretty much the same as Bella except with a few clumsy attempts from Stephanie to ‘butch him up’ which fell so flat they had no hope of being scraped off the ground. Things like talking about “Man Codes” like about not taking the girl your bro wants. Ha, “Man” Codes.



He’s just as much a clutz as Bella was, so much so that Edythe protects him just as much as Edward did, and it’s just wrong when it’s from a female perspective. I haven’t even read feminist based books that were this lame. This manages to escalate into piggyback rides that makes Beau toss his cookies.

(I couldn’t find a gif for this one, so I had to draw my own)

 

At least there was no “Hang on tight spider monkey” scene. Although I would have loved to see Edythe haul him up a tree like Jane of the Jungle. And the kissing scenes; tedious in the original, but now just creepy because Edythe takes point and won’t let him kiss her back because it’s “dangerous”.

 

 And when they’re running from bad vamps, he can’t even do his own seatbelt up in the big bad Jeep.

 

He doesn’t eat, like at all except when he makes food for Charlie. I have two brothers so I know for a fact that teen guys eat and eat and eat. I have never known a teenage boy who won’t eat at least four square meals a day and Beau is never hungry at school so he gets a lemonade. Not a soda, a lemonade. Now I’m not saying lemonade is a girly drink but guys don’t drink it unless it’s their grandma’s or their elderly neighbor’s that’s served with cookies. Not in the school cafeteria where your bros can see.

 

 So so far we have determined that he’s a clutz, he doesn’t eat, he’s a whipped, hen-pecked man, (and I use the term 'man' only biologically) and he eats like a nervous teenage girl. Oh yeah, and he’s always blushing like a girl too. Guys can blush, yeah, but not all the time, not like Bella. I was embarrassed for him. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the fact that he pooled winter clothes with his mom before leaving Arazona.

  (pg 5) My mom and I had pooled our resources to supplement my winter wardrobe, but it still wasn’t much.




And he apologizes just way too much for anyone who is not Tom Hiddleston. So that’s enough about the despicably mediocre Beau, let’s introduce the gender swapped vamp fam.

Edythe, first of all is kind of just like Edward, but she’s a girl so it’s creepier. Talk about cougar on the prowl. Now at least it makes sense that she likes to hunt wildcats so much… And the whole “Stay away from me I’m bad news”/ “I’m tired of avoiding you, Beau”/ “But seriously….” Thing was just as annoying and made just as little sense as in the original. Talk about whip lash. But I will admit it kind of makes more sense with her being a female. Because, let’s face it, girls just are more wishy-washy. It’s the truth.

I will say that a Volvo was more of a chick car, but I love how Stephanie is laboring under the assumption that a Volvo is a cool car just because they’re expensive. I’m not even going to go there right now, because that’s a whole other conversation in itself.

 

And another thing against Beau is that he’s not a car guy, and yeah, not all guys are car guys, but it’s kind of built into the male psyche that they at least like the look of a certain car. But Beau doesn’t care, I mean, he was right that the BMW that one of the other vamps had wasn’t a cool car *cough-golfercar-cough* but he didn’t care about it at all. Anyway, rant over.

Back to business. The vamp fam. Everyone is gender swapped. Except Charlie and Beau’s mom, which I’m at least glad about, that would have made it so much worse. And so Carlyle is a woman. I can’t remember their dumb non-mainstream names, so I’ll call her Vamp Mom. Vamp Dad was just as soft and sensitive as Beau and it was just as painful, almost in an effeminate way. Creepy. And then you had Male Alice, Jesa-something, Amazon Girl and ManBun. They were essentially the same as they were before but with unneeded gender swapping. Boring, and with even weirder names than before.

And then there’s the female werewolves. First off, let me just say that Native American tribes are not matriarchal so this is just really stupid, and in this story literally had even less of a point as in the original. (More on that and the ‘alternate ending’ later)

There is really no end to the lameness that this book gave the world. One thing that comes to mind is the fact that Beau actually thought Edythe regretted saving him from getting crushed by his soon to be creepy stalker “girlfriend” who nearly ran him over in a van. How insecure was he? I mean normal people don’t usually regret saving anyone’s life unless they are a psychopath. Or unless you are me and you could have ended this thing before it started.

 

RIP Beau and Bella Swan. Oh yeah, and the infamous “mugging” scene from the original where Bella was nearly attacked and Edward came to save her but didn’t for some reason want to eat those scum. Well, let me explain this. In the beginning of the book, when Beau is at the airport, he literally runs into someone with his suitcase and that person looked a little upset. Bet you thought that was just a way to show how clumsy he was, right? Wrong. They were so upset that the followed him to town months later and decided they were going to kill him. Top hole plotting Stephanie. And here I was expecting a bunch of rabid hookers coming to attack him.

 

Edythe is just as controlling as Edward was but it’s creepy as a woman. Women do not make men eat or take care of themselves unless they are their mother. In fact, she acted way too much like Beau’s mother and I hope I don’t need to explain why this is not okay.

Now, I feel I should share with you some of the highlights of this delightful literary masterpiece: (The brilliant conversation that takes place after the “attack” scene)

 (pg. 121-122) Unwillingly, I pulled my hand from hers. It felt like I’d been holding a handful of ice cubes.
 “Better?” I asked.
 She took a deep breath. “Not really.”
 “What is it, Edythe? What’s wrong?”
 She almost smiled, but there was no humor in her eyes. “This may come as a surprise to you, Beau, but I have a little bit of a temper. Sometimes it’s hard for me to forgive easily when someone…offends me.” 
“Did I—“ 
 “Stop, Beau,” she said before I could even get the second word fully out. “I’m not talking about you.” (…)”Do you realize they were actually going to kill you?”
 “Yeah, I kinda figured they were going to try.”
 “It’s completely ridiculous!” (…something about no one gets murder in Port Angeles…)”Why does everything deadly come looking for you?”
 I blinked. “I…I have no answer for that.” (…)
 “So I’m not allowed to go teach those thugs a lesson in manners?”
 “Um, no. Please?”

Okay, Batman, sorry they tried something in your city. Seriously, there are so many parts in this book that don’t make sense. No one ever said she wasn’t allowed to teach them manners, I think Stephanie just put random dialogue in that has no connection.

 

This is another favorite when, after the attck, Edythe makes Beau eat something to stave off shock and won’t allow him to pay for it even though she didn’t order anything.

  (pg 135) “Try not to get caught up in antiquated gender roles.”

As I said before this book even goes beyond feminist.

And let’s not forget Edythe’s budding serial killer/stalker confession when she plays her special song on the piano for Beau.

(pg. 256) “I thought of this one,” she said softly, “while I watched you sleeping. It’s your song.” The song turned even softer and sweeter. I couldn’t speak.



Yeah, I’m pretty speechless myself.

And then this gem where the vamp whooping up on Beau gets a little creepier than necessary.

 pg. 347) “It doesn’t want to scream,” she said in a funny little singsong voice. “Should we make it scream?”

 Yes, Precious, we should.

 

So about the end. It was actually a surprise, there is an alternate ending to this, did you know? Because Beau can’t get pregnant and die in childbirth so why should Edythe have to turn him? Well, because the mean vampire bit his little finger and he was too broken (even though he wasn’t any more broken than Bella) but apparently Edythe didn’t think she would be able to stop drinking Beau like a juice bag so she just decided to turn him instead. And then they all lived in mediocrity together, the end.

   

 Fun times. Well, I guess I did scrape up a couple pros to this one:

 The shopping scene was much shorter with guys just buying corsages instead of prom dresses.

 And so in conclusion: Should you read this book?

 

 Do I recommend it?



Conclusion:



 

 I think I spent more time picking gifs for this review than Stephanie did writing it. R. I. Pieces Twilight. Let's not do this again for the 20th anniversary.

Books of Note: October Reads

Like last month, I mostly read some re-reads but I did read a few new books too, and here's a couple that I enjoyed most!

In the Urwald, you don’t step off the path. Trolls, werewolves, and butter-churn riding witches lurk amid the clawing branches, eager to swoop up the unwary. Jinx has always feared leaving the path—then he meets the wizard Simon Magus. 

Jinx knows that wizards are evil. But Simon’s kitchen is cozy, and he seems cranky rather than wicked. Staying with him appears to be Jinx’s safest, and perhaps only, option. As Jinx’s curiosity about magic grows, he learns to listen to the trees as closely as he does to Simon’s unusual visitors. The more Jinx discovers, the more determined he becomes to explore beyond the security of well-trod paths. But in the Urwald, a little healthy fear is never out of place, for magic—and magicians—can be as dangerous as the forest, and soon Jinx must decide which is the greater threat. 

Sage Blackwood introduces a daring new hero for an innovative new world as Jinx is joined by friends, battles enemies, and discovers life beyond—and even within—the forest is more complex than he can imagine, and that the Urwald itself needs him more than he could ever guess

Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: This was a really fun, unique fantasy read with an interesting story line, good characters and a god dose of adventure and humor. Pretty much just the kind of book I like to curl up with at the end of the day.

Cover--Yea or Nay: Yes, I really like the cover, it caught my attention and definitely looks like a fantasy novel. I also really love the title font.

Characters: Jinx is the kind of protagonist I love to read about (and one of the reasons I really like middle-grade books so much). He's smart, resourceful, and what's better, he does make his own decisions, even if they aren't always for the best, but without seeming like he's being disrespectful to others. He's very curious, and wants to know what there is to know about the world. I liked his simple genius that even he didn't realize he possessed. Simon was a good mentor/father figure character. Not quite as awesome as some others I've read, but still good, and I liked how the reader could tell he really cared about Jinx, even if he didn't always show it, and also for the fact that sometimes we really weren't sure why he did what he did. I also really liked Sohpie, and I wish she had been in the book more, but maybe we'll see more of her in the next one. Elfwyn and Reven were also really likable characters. Elfwyn was one of those enjoyable female characters who have spunk and are capable of taking care of themselves without having The Attitude and Reven was kind of the happy one, who was always good natured and polite but no less capable of taking care of business than the others. As for the villain, I thought the Bonemaster was really cool. Sometimes villains can get a little overblown and cartoony in middle-grade fiction, and while he was a little bit like that, you could also tell he was really dangerous, and the fact that he kept tiny people in jars was really rather frightening. I was not disappointed with him.

The Romance: None!

Writing Style: Third person, but from Jinx's perspective. I really enjoyed the writing style, it's written in somewhat of a light humorous style which is exactly what I like from these kinds of books. The descriptions and the world of the Urwald were well-crafted and held just enough of traditional fantasy elements to seem familiar, but was also different enough to be unique. I really enjoyed the world presented in this book, and how Jinx presents the different types of magic. I'm not always a fan of magic books, but this one actually made sense to me in how the magic worked, and I find I can enjoy those much better.

Accuracy/ Believability: Not applicable.

Problems/What bothered me: There was only one small thing I felt was a little lacking(view spoiler)

Conclusion: 4 stars. This is a really fun adventure novel that is great for when you want a quick read. It ended a little bit abruptly but I imagine the sequel will pick up right where it ended, and I look forward to continuing the story of Jinx and his friends.

Recommended Audience: Guy or girl read 10 and up. Anyone who enjoys a good fantasy adventure novel with fun characters and not an overload of magic.

(To read this review with spoilers go to Goodreads)


Meg and her siblings have been sent to the English countryside for the summer to stay with elderly relatives. The children are looking forward to exploring the ancient mansion and perhaps discovering a musty old attic or two filled with treasure, but never in their wildest dreams did they expect to find themselves in the middle of a fairy war.

When Rowan pledges to fight for the beautiful fairy queen, Meg is desperate to save her brother. But the Midsummer War is far more than a battle between mythic creatures: Everything that lives depends on it. How can Meg choose between family and the fate of the very land itself?


Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: This was a pleasantly enjoyable read, and while not the best fairy book I have ever read, it had a lot of the traditional tales and such that are always fun to see in such books for lovers of fairy lore.

Cover--Yea or Nay: Yes, I love this cover. It's so pretty and it obviously states what the book is about.

Characters: Meg is a nice protagonist. I liked her because, even though she's not the oldest of the siblings, she's the oldest girl and kind of takes on a motherly role among her brothers a sister. She smart but not without human failings which are obvious to see in the story. Rowan, the older brother, is practical, a quiet scholarly wise type of person, and I liked him too. Silly, the younger sister was your typical tomboy and she was enjoyable as well. As for the other children, I liked Dickie, who was the shy, bookworm, and the one who did all the research on fairies, so I liked him, of course. And I was rather devided in my opinion of Finn. As he was written and what he did, I didn't like him, obviously, but I had the feeling that he just wasn't or shouldn't have been as bad as he was portrayed to be. Because he was so young, I didn't think he should have been as malicious as he was, but that was just my opinion. I do think he should have had more of a defining moment and turned for the good in the end but since there's another book, I suppose his story isn't finished. I loved great aunt and uncle Ash, they were nice characters and Bran was your typical brooding, closed-off-from-the-world-for-his-own-reasons character. I also really liked Lemman the otter girl, even though she wasn't in the story a lot. In short there was a good cast of characters, and I liked the sibling relationships.

The Romance: None

Writing Style: The style was my favorite part of this book, actually. It's written in kind of an old fashioned style, and read like a fairy tale, which is essentially what this is. I also liked how, while the book is all in third person, we got to see the insights of almost all the characters. I think that works good for this kind of story. The author also seems to have done quite a bit of research into fairy lore, and since I love that, I like to see people using the old legends and tales.

Accuracy/ Believability: Not totally applicable, but there was one thing that bothered me. The children are sent to England because of a major flu epidemic in the US. I wouldn't have had so much of a problem with this if it was set in the past, but as a modern day story, this was just a little strange, and I half expected the epidemic to have been some cause of the fairies, but it was never explained and it just kind of seemed a little weird to me. It just seemed almost like the author needed something drastic to happen to get the characters where they needed to be. The flu doesn't feature in any part of the story apart from that, so it just seemed a little off, but it might not bother everyone.

Problems/What bothered me: Apart from what I mentioned above, there were actually a couple things that bothered me(view spoiler)

Conclusion:3 stars. An enjoyable read for any who like family stories and fairy stories.

Recommended Audience: 10 and up, readers who enjoyed the Spiderwick books would probably like this too. 

(To read this review with spoilers go to Goodreads)


And don't forget to stop by later this moth to see all the fun stuff I'll be posting for NaNoWriMo! I can't beelive it's only hours away now!

On another note, Happy Halloween! Eats lots of candy! 

Books of Note-- October Reads

Some of the best books I read this month! And there were so many, it's hard to choose which were my favorites! Oh yes, and I've also added a section where I say what I think about the book cover in my reviewing format.

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: I'll admit that originally, I was a bit wary of how this book was going to be. I LOVED "Scorpio Races" and I was afraid from the description of this book that Maggie Stiefvater would revert back to some of her older stories like Lament and Ballad which I was not a fan of. But I really really ended up enjoying this book more and more as it went along. There were just so many plot twists and unexpected things that I couldn't stop reading because I just had to know how it ended. There are very few books that can leave me guessing throughout and with this one, I really had no clue where each page would lead me. I think it was another really amazing unique, never-before-seen kind of book like "Scorpio Races" was.

Cover--Yae or Nay: I honestly thought the cover was a bit odd, and if I hadn't been anticipating this book, it's not the kind of thing I would normally pick up, but once you read the book, you understand the picture. I do like the oil paint look to how the raven is done, and the cover is pearly which is kind of cool. I'm really not a fan of white though. I don't know why, I like off white, but bright white just looks too sterile to me or something. So while I didn't dislike it, it's not my favorite either. I Liked the cover for "Scorpio Races" better.

Characters: I'll talk about Blue first because I don't have as much to say about her. While I wasn't a huge fan of her name (I'm with Gansey, let's call her Jane) her character was really great. It's funny because I thought she was going to be the main character, but she turned out to almost be more of a supporting character while Gansey took lead role. Perhaps this was why she didn't have The Attitude like some girls (and girls from some of Maggie's other books) have had. She was smart, she was likable, and I liked how she was friends with the guys while not being all "I'm better than you all because I'm a girl" or "I'm just going to play all these guys 'cause they're hot". In fact, there wasn't that much romance at all which I was very happy about but I'll get to that more later.

As for the guys, I am a huge fan of quirky groups, and these four are definitely quirky. Gansey was a great hero type guy. I loved how he was an eccentric scholar type person (I can relate) I also really LOVED how he took care of his friends. The brotherly relationship between the four here was epic for a modern YA book. You don't usually see that, and there were some parts that I won't mention because of spoilers that just made me happy. I also like how, though he's so confident, he's still kind of awkward socially like a typical scholar. Adam was probably my favorite character in the book though. He was just sweet and troubled and I love those kinds of characters. And I also liked how he was too proud to accept charity, because that's always a hard thing to do. Ronan isn't normally who I would class as a likable character, but I do see where he came from, and you can't blame him either because of his past. Grief can ruin a person and I do like to see tortured characters in books because I think a lot of times characters get washed out and too 'un-real' almost. And Ronan had his moments where I had to cheer for him too. Noah, I liked for reasons I can't say because of spoilers, but I thought he was a pretty cool character ;-)

Writing Style: I have always liked Maggie's writing style, even for some of her books I didn't like as much. This book was really awesome, and I think the only one of hers that has not been in first person. But it's one that I don't think could be in first person either because you hop characters too much. I really loved how she added Welsh folk lore into it. This book was weird, but it was a good weird. I love stories about ghosts and faeries and ghost hunting (or whatever you would really term this) and I love it even more if it's mixed with history and folk lore. And of course it has to be British history, because it wouldn't be right otherwise. I also loved, as I mentioned before, the fact that there was no unnecessary romance involved. There was a little bit of crushing as a side plot, but since Blue is actually a sensible heroine, she didn't let that get in the way. This book could have turned into another Twilight but it didn't, thankfully. This book almost felt like an Indiana Jones adventure looking for the sleeping Welsh king, Owain Glendower, and it was more adventure than anything else even though it was definitely a character driven story.

Problems/What bothered me: For story I didn't really have any problems. The ending surprised me, a lot actually since it was way far away from what I was expecting, but I didn't have any problems with it. The only thing I could mark was that there was more strong language than I think should be in a YA book, but then some YA books are just like that and if I like a story and characters enough I can bleep out the language in my head. (Oh, and on a technical side- I found several typos of a type I know all too well: where you start to write one thing but then change it to another and you forget to delete the first part?)

Conclusion: 5 stars. I throughly enjoyed it. I don't usually rates books with this much language over four stars, but I had to factor in the total uniqueness of this as well, so I made an exception in this case. Perhaps still not quite as good as "Scorpio Races" but a huge surprise to me. I really can't wait to see what she does with the sequel. As long as Maggie keeps doing whatever she has been doing for the last couple books, I think we're good.

Recommended Audience: Older teens because of language mostly but there are other themes that might bother people like abuse, a little darkness and maybe a little creepiness if you creep out easily. I'm probably not a good judge of that because I don't. I'm a "that was weird" kind of person. I can't really compare this book to any others, but if you like modern/historical fantasy (see I can't even class it) or are a Maggie Stiefvater fan, I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

(Also read my friend Mara's review here: http://667bakerstreet.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-raven-boys-review-maggie-stiefvater.html )

Seventeen-year-old Althea is the sole support of her entire family, and she must marry well. But there are few wealthy suitors--or suitors of any kind--in their small Yorkshire town of Lesser Hoo. Then, the young and attractive (and very rich) Lord Boring arrives, and Althea sets her plans in motion. There's only one problem; his friend and business manager Mr. Fredericks keeps getting in the way. And, as it turns out, Fredericks has his own set of plans . . . This witty take on the classic Regency--Patrice Kindl's first novel in a decade--is like literary champagne!




Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: Okay, I really just simply enjoyed this book! When I read a "girly" book this is the kind I like. A quirky heroine, lots of good humor, and a lovely supporting cast, both with people you love and those who can be quite tiresome but are fun to read about anyway.

Cover-- Yae or Nay: Yes, I like the cover, it looks kind of whimsical and I love the font of the title as well. Though if I had seen this without knowing what the story was about, I might have thought it was a medieval story, just because I don't normally expect castles to feature in Empire novels, but once you read the description, you're obviously told differently.

Characters: Althea, is a wonderful protagonist, and well casted for the first person. I love her slightly sarcastic English humor and her descriptions of things and the other characters. Her step sisters are quite droll ladies, one with the infatuation for quotes about death and the other always flirting and trying to steal every man before he can even get to know Althea. I also love how Althea is always saying what she means even if she doesn't mean it. (Well, of course we know she does, even though she shouldn't have spoken in the first place). Lord Boring wasn't too bad. He's just kind of mediocre, and I actually felt rather sorry for him being stuck under the thumb of his mother all the time. My favorite character though, was Mr. Fredericks. I adore characters like him and he was hilarious with his sardonic attitude.

Writing Style: Very Austinian in style and a light and easy read. Definitely the kind of thing one can enjoy after a long day.

Problems/What bothered me: I had no problems with this book, it was just a simple story and very enjoyable.

Conclusion: 5 stars. I loved this story, and I really hope the author writes some more about this time period because she has a good knack for it.

Recommended Audience: Any age would enjoy this book. There's nothing content wise and appropriate for any age, though it's definitely a girl read.

(You can also read Mara's review here: http://667bakerstreet.blogspot.com/2012/09/keeping-castle-review-patrice-kindl.html )

When Peter's parents are killed, he is sent to an orphanage in Warsaw, Poland. But Peter is Volksdeutscher-of German blood. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looks just like the boy on the Hitler Youth poster. The Nazis decide he is racially valuable. Indeed, a prominent German family is pleased to adopt such a fine Aryan specimen into their household. But despite his new "family," Peter feels like a foreigner-an ausländer-and he is forming his own ideas about what he sees and what he's told. He doesn't want to be a Nazi. So he takes a risk-the most dangerous one he could possibly choose in 1942 Berlin...




Review

Thoughts on the Overall Book: This was a very well-written historical fiction story, well researched and exciting. While it might have had some slow parts, I liked the fact that it seemed like a real story, more than actual fiction. The author did a wonderful job portraying what life was like back in the Nazi occupation and this book even went to extremes that I hadn't really heard about before, but, as explained in the author's note, were completely accurate. For me this book was actually very eye-opening as to how truly fanatic Nazi supporters were.

Cover--Yae or Nay: I do like the cover for this book, that and the title is what made me pull it off the shelf. Though it makes it look more like an action thriller which it really wasn't. Only the last part of the book really had that kind of feeling to it whereas the rest of it, while not boring, didn't really have a lot of action in it. But it definitely looks like a WWII novel.

Characters: Peter's a good protagonist, as well as Anna. At some points you wanted to smack them over the head for their stupidity, but that was another thing that led to this book being like a real story. They were real, flawed characters. I loved the idea of a character (Peter) who was a privileged Aryan even though he was Polish instead of fully German, being idolized by the Nazis because of his 'perfect' complexion. I also liked how, at first, Peter seems flattered though a little overwhelmed by his position, but then when he sees what the Nazis are really capable of, he decides he doesn't want to be part of that anymore. I also really loved how the plot went into the underground as well, helping the Jews to escape occupied Germany.

Writing Style: I haven't read any of Paul Dowswell's books yet besides this one, but I know I'll like them now because his writing style truly is very very good. You can definitely tell all the research that went into this story down to every little detail. In fact it's so detailed that the reader automatically knows he is not making anything up. He is a truly amazing Historical writer.

Problems/What bothered me: Nothing truly bothered me. I think "Auslander" is a good look into life in Nazi Germany. I can't complain about the book because it was presented in a historical way.

Conclusion: 4 stars. This was a really good book, and I'm only rating it four because it's not one of my favorite books I have read, though I'm not marking it down for anything but personal preference. If I was going on historical accuracy alone, I would give it five stars.

Recommended Audience: Probably older teens and adults. It's not as brutal as it could have been, but, as can be expected, there are themes that young readers might find disturbing (it goes into torture/execution methods, medical experimentation and the horrors of the camps--though that's only mentioned somewhat in passing. It also talks about what they would do to the mentally ill people, which is rather hard to swallow.) Any fans of good historical fiction would enjoy this book though.
~~~

On another note, I apologize that I have not been updating my blog very much lately, I'm neck deep in writing "By Blood or By Bond" and I have also entered Anthony Maxwell's book (Now entitled "A Case of Poisons" ) Into NaNoWriMo this year! I'm totally excited because this is my first year of doing it, and I am deturmined to write the full 50,000 words of Anthony's story during the month. Anthony will be very pleased too. If you want to follow the updates, keep checking his Facebook account. Or if you too, are entering NaNo you can look me up as "theartfulscribbler" 

And in case you didn't know (because I can't remember if I put this up yet or not) I also started a Twitter account where you can check all my quick updates or shared links on a daily basis @artfulscribber

Last announcement: I have posted my excerpt for "By Blood or By Bond" on Createspace too now! And I would really appriciate some feedback if you would like to read it and answer the questions there. I would be much obliged. https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1112073

I'd also like to let you know (I lied about the last announcement) that I am still planning on getting both "Freedom Come All Ye" and "Ballad of the Highwayman" formatted for e-books before Christmas this year. I will keep you updated on all that as well.

I'll hopefully be posting another article of some kind soon.

Slainte, Hazel