Reviews by Jen Chapin-Smith
Although it is also about sparkly vampires (which is just a ridiculous concept), I liked "The short second life of Bree Tanner" far better than the other "Twilight" books. Bree is not nearly as helpless, dependent or passive as Bella. Bree actually solves problems and figures out on her own what's happening.
If you like the "Twilight" books, this one is OK but if you don't read/listen to it, you won't be missing anything.
If you like the "Twilight" books, this one is OK but if you don't read/listen to it, you won't be missing anything.
Although it is also about sparkly vampires (which is just a ridiculous concept), I liked "The short second life of Bree Tanner" far better than the other "Twilight" books. Bree is not nearly as helpless, dependent or passive as Bella. Bree actually solves problems and figures out on her own what's happening.
If you like the "Twilight" books, this one is OK but if you don't read it, you won't be missing anything.
If you like the "Twilight" books, this one is OK but if you don't read it, you won't be missing anything.
While I enjoyed it far better than her "Twilight" series, "Host" is still just OK as novels go. It's not a masterpiece but at least it doesn't contain glittery vampires.
The story is about an alien whose species have taken over the Earth and infect humans so that they control the human body completely and the human's own mind fades into the background or even disappears. Our main character doesn't see anything wrong with this, even when remembering another species on another planet that her people invaded. Those peaceful creatures committed mass suicide rather than be enslaved by the alien invaders. One might see this as a metaphor on empire-building.
The novel is a love story with a twist. The violence at the beginning of the relationship gives me great pause, just as the controlling way Edward treats Bella disturbs me in "Twilight."
The story is about an alien whose species have taken over the Earth and infect humans so that they control the human body completely and the human's own mind fades into the background or even disappears. Our main character doesn't see anything wrong with this, even when remembering another species on another planet that her people invaded. Those peaceful creatures committed mass suicide rather than be enslaved by the alien invaders. One might see this as a metaphor on empire-building.
The novel is a love story with a twist. The violence at the beginning of the relationship gives me great pause, just as the controlling way Edward treats Bella disturbs me in "Twilight."
Although I don't like Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series, "Host" is not too bad. It tells the story of an alien who has taken over a human host when her species invade the Earth.
Only a few humans have managed to avoid being taken over by hosts and they have congregated into a small society living in caves and looking for ways to free their planet.
Our main character feels conflicted. She doesn't think there is any other way for her species to live and they really believe they are helping those they infect, even when those other species commit mass suicide rather than be enslaved. One could see this as a metaphor on modern empire-building.
The novel is a love story with a twist, but the early shades of violence in it give me pause, just as the controlling way Edward treats Bella in the "Twilight" books sets a bad example for young readers.
Only a few humans have managed to avoid being taken over by hosts and they have congregated into a small society living in caves and looking for ways to free their planet.
Our main character feels conflicted. She doesn't think there is any other way for her species to live and they really believe they are helping those they infect, even when those other species commit mass suicide rather than be enslaved. One could see this as a metaphor on modern empire-building.
The novel is a love story with a twist, but the early shades of violence in it give me pause, just as the controlling way Edward treats Bella in the "Twilight" books sets a bad example for young readers.
Fletcher "Half" Moon is a 12-year-old private detective who finds missing and stolen items for his classmates. He runs into trouble, though, when his first paid investigation lands him in the hospital, beaten until his nose is broken. Warning: this story does include violence, however, it is not a murder mystery.
Set in Ireland (Colfer's homeland), the story includes only a few references to Irish culture. It is often hard to tell if the actor reading the story aloud really is Irish.
Like almost everything my Colfer, I really enjoyed this story!
Set in Ireland (Colfer's homeland), the story includes only a few references to Irish culture. It is often hard to tell if the actor reading the story aloud really is Irish.
Like almost everything my Colfer, I really enjoyed this story!
