The Betrayal of Maggie Blair

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair
by Elizabeth Laird

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What I liked most about this book was that some of the characters, places and events were real. The author is related to a few of the characters, did research on their history, and visited places where they lived.

Growing up in Scotland during 17th century was not easy. Maggie Blair was 16 years old and was convicted of being a witch. Maggie’s mother died during child birth, and her father died in an accident when she was young. Maggie’s grandmother raised her. Her grandmother wasn’t an affectionate person to say the least. You didn’t get much information on Maggie’s grandmothers up bringing but you could tell she had a very hard life. Everyone thought her grandmother was a witch….I guess being a hard, practical woman living off what the land has to offer, being superstitious and believing in / practicing all the old wife tales makes you a witch. Since Maggie’s grandmother was a witch she had to be one too, and was sentenced to be hanged, then burned next to her grandmother. Maggie escapes….with help of friends she travels to her uncles.

At her Uncle’s she is greeted with more turmoil as her Uncle is arrested, and the only person that can help save him is Maggie.

Maggie is betrayed first by her community, then by a family friend, who she thinks of as an uncle. She is faced with trial after trial that would break any ones spirit but Maggie make is through it, and chooses the path that will make her happy.

I am a new reader to historical fiction, which I think this book falls under. At first I thought this book was going to be paranormal in nature, but it isn’t. Also you don’t find out that the author is related to the characters until the end of the story----I would have liked to have known that going into the story. This was an easy read, it was steady paced and I didn’t lose interest in the story.

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Locks of Love

Today I chopped my hair off (12 inches) and I am donating to locks of love. The organization makes hairpieces for financially disadvantaged, that are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. It feels great to do something good for someone else (smile).

The Vampire Voss

The Vampire Voss

By: Colleen Gleason

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is probably the longest it has taken me to read one book. I found this book was hard to get sucked into but wanted to give it a shot. I am torn between 2 & 3 stars, I am going to give it a 3 for effort. This book was a mix between historical fiction and paranormal love.

Voss is a vampire, he cares for no one but himself. Life is a game to him since his life is never ending. He loves to find out secrets and weakness about other vampires and flaunt that in their faces or charge others for he knowledge, which has caused him to have enemies. As he tries to gain knowledge from the sister of a vampire hunter that he plans to sale, something happens….he falls in love with the vampire hunters sister Angelica. Angelica has what is called the sight. She can see into the future and see when one is to die, she can see the exact moment they die. This gift is usual to both humans and vampires which has put her in danger and Voss feels protective of her but also has the bloodlust for her that comes with being a vampire.

This book was very descriptive, I found it to be too descriptive at times, it was as if words were just being used to fill the page not to enhance the story. Also the story went back and forth between the present and past a lot. It was distinctive when it was done though. I would be half way through a page, confused non the less, before I realized that we had changed from the present to the past or vise versa and would have to go back and reread to apply that part of the story to wear it belong.

Overall, I like the underlining moral to the story.

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Boys that Bite by Mari Mancusi

3 Stars
From the back of book...Technically Sunshine can't get killed-because she's immortal. Well, not quite yet. Due to the worst case of mistaken identity with her dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth club called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for Sunshine's innocent neck. Now if she doesn't reverse it in time, Magnus will be her blood mate forever and she's doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. That would seriously bite.

And now, after the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, Sunshine, her sister Rayne, and Magnus must find the one thing that can solve her problem: the Holy Grail. They wish it were a joke but it's not. It's absolutely necessary that Sunshine gets out of this in time, because somehow she scored the hottest prom date in her school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. So she just can't be a vampire for the prom-let alone the rest of eternity.

My thoughts...The book was an easy read. I love the relationship Sunny & Raine have, that they really love each other even though they are complete opposites. They are very sarcastic to each other, which reminds me of the relationship I have with my own sister. The back of the book gives you the rundown of book and I don't have much to add to it without spoiling. I thought that it was silly that the one thing that could turn Sunny back into a human was the Holy Grail. Also the valley girl talk was a little bit much for me which may be my age speaking. This is a book that either you like and will kept reading the series because it is a fun easy read or you will stop with book one and not think twice about it.

I will probably give book two a chance to see if I can overcome the few things a didn't like about book one.


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Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

3.5 Stars

From the back cover:

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

My thoughts: Two years ago Andi's brother dies. Everyday since then she blames herself, she is in so much pain and constantly thinks about ending her own life to end the pain. To numb the pain she drugs herself up daily. And the only other thing that keeps her sane is her music, her guitar and even lately that does not seem to be helping. Her mom is worse off then Andi is, hardly talking, never leaving the apartment, hardly eating and painting portrait after portrait of Truman. Andi's dad has never played a big picture in her life and after the death of her brother is never to be seen....Until he receives a letter from Andi's school about being expelled or not graduating if she doesn't turn her grades around and start on her senior thesis. Andi's dad comes home, put he mom is a mental hospital and takes Andi with him to Paris where he is working on a big project for work. Andi's thesis is on composer Mahlerbeau who is French. Since Andi is in Paris she can do a lot with her thesis, research, go see the house Mahlerbeau lived in etc. While in Paris Andi and her father is staying with a family friend that is going to be opening up a museum with the French Revolution artifacts. One of those artifacts is going to be a journal that Alexandrine Paradis wrote with her account of the Revolutions. With reading the journal and the accounts that Alexandrine went through it hurts but also start to help health Andi and she see the world through someone elses eyes. Also why Andi is out and about in Paris she meets a young man that she is drawn too, he loves music as much as Andi does. He also sees that Andi is in pain and won't give up until he now why. He also helps Andi start to heal.

I really enjoyed this book. You feel, really feel for Andi and the pain she is going through. I liked that everyone’s story (Andi, Alexandrine, Truman) is pieced throughout the entire book, so you are constantly wanting to what happens next. Towards the end there are several chapters that I didn't care for, but overall I would recommend to read. I am new to historical fiction but I am liking it.





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