Starlet's Light Review

Title: Starlet’s Light

Author: Carla J. Hanna

Goodreads Rating: 4.5 out of 5

My Rating: 4 out of 5

This is the third book to the Starlet’s Web series and let me start of by saying that it was not my favorite one. It took me a while to finish this book and I think it was because Liana bothered me a lot in this book. It seemed like she was in a huge pity party just for herself. I just wanted to knock her on the head and show her how many people she can trust and love.

            Throughout the novel Liana feels like her friends and family do not love her even though that is not the case at all. This book is set in England, which is a good change in the scenery from the first two books. Liana is filming her last Muse before it turns into a television series. You see Liana getting in control with her career path. She is more professional now that she takes control of her work. The main flaw that I see in her in this novel is the fact that she is afraid that she is going to die. Instead of living life like it is her last she just mopes about it. Now I know that seems pretty harsh for me to say especially since I am not ill or put in the same situations as Liana but wouldn’t you think that if it was your last day wouldn’t you want to live it. Instead Liana pushes everyone out except one person. That is all I am going to say about Liana because I am going to talk about my new favorite couple that you meet in this series.

            Evan and Amelie are my new favorite couple in the series. Like I keep giggling whenever they are mentioned in this book. Evan is in the previous books as well. In the first one he was Liana’s boyfriend at the beginning. I never paid even that much attention towards him. I did not hate him or like him he was just another character in the story for me until this book. I honestly believe that Evan and Amelie are the only sane ones in this novel. I wish that in the future that there will be a novella or a short story or whatever (hint hint Ms. Hanna). I just love them!

Again I cannot praise Ms. Hanna’s writing style. She is a phenomenal writer that makes you think about your everyday life as you read her work. 

Starlet's Run Review

Title: Starlet’s Run

Author: Carla J. Hanna

Goodreads Rating: 3.84 out of 5

My Rating: 5 out of 5

            This is the second book to the Starlet’s Web series and this book picks up where the second book ended. This book is still Liana trying to cope with all her life struggles. I have much more respect for her in this book than in the first one. Liana is sick because her mother gave her an anti-aging pill without her knowledge. Liana has an amazing boyfriend, Manuel.

            The main thing that I love about this book in particular was that we got inside each of the secondary characters. The characters that I loved other than the main characters were Liana’s grandmother, Celia, Beth, Jean and her family, Dr. Jack and last but not least Pierre (aka CSY7). I love them all so much because they each genuinely care about Liana even if she does not know it.

            Manual I feel like changed the most in this book. I mean like you meet a whole complete different side of him. He is still not that thrilled about Liana’s career and takes it out on her and others. All with good reason because he knows how the business can get but at the same time he was really disrespectful about it. I was actually glad when you see him act differently then we were aware of because it shows that he is human and that even a guy who is supposed to be Prince Charming can have some flaws.  

            What I love about Ms. Hanna’s writing is that she puts real life issues into her stories without being too obvious about it. When I read her books it is like I am reading a Sarah Dessen book. This book is a great continuation to the first book. I actually believe that it is better than the first one and must be read.

Book Review: Starlet's Web

Title: Starlet’s Web

Author: Carla J. Hanna

Publication: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 

Release Date: November 2, 2012

Amazon Rating: 5 out of 5

My rating: 5 out of 5

Summary: Liana Marie is a celebrity in the Hollywood world that most people fantasize about. While others fantasize she just wants to learn how to deal with it. She doesn’t know who she truly is. She has been in the business for all she can remember. Liana doesn’t know if she is the characters she plays or the Liana she truly is. On top of all this she is in love with her best friend, Manuel. She wants to express her feeling towards him but just can’t because she is afraid of what will come. Not to mention that she is about to graduate from her high school that she attends between the movies she makes.

My Review: Let me start off by saying how much I love this book! I mean loved it! Still can’t get over it. Every emotion that she goes through I went with her. When she was upset or angry I was too! When all she wanted to do was cry I did too! Even when she was filled with over joy I was too! I know weird but that was how great the writing was.

            Liana is a seventeen year old who just wants to be a normal teenager, not the movie starlet Marie. The Hollywood business knows her as Marie, while her true family and friends call her Liana, or Lia. What I loved about this character was that it was not just Hollywood fame problems; it was the same problems that most teenage girls go through.

            I loved Manuel as well. He is the best, best friend ever. He always wants to protect Liana and truly loves her as well. He drops anything and every thing just to be with her. Yet they both won’t come out with there feelings toward each other. Or will they? Mmm, I guess you have to read the book to find out.

            Another great thing about this book was how many plot twists there were. I mean a lot of plot twists that made me want to throw this book across the room but couldn’t because I had to turn the page to find out what happened next. As soon as thought that finally Liana can be happy some twist happens.

            Carla J. Hanna’s book is so great and I can’t wait for the second one to this series. I mean like I need to read the second book now! That is how good the first one was! Read it! I promise you won’t regret it.

Editing My Blog

Okay (sigh), I'm trying to make my blog look better. For some weird reason I feel like something is missing, and i don't know what it is. I just figured out how to create pages. Yay! I have been trying to figure that out for so long now. I think that's what is missing because it will help me be organized. But I don't know how to put my old posts on my new pages :(. So confused. As you can tell I'm not that tech. savvy but still trying. If any of you guys know please tell me! (begging on knees) Please!

Brigid Kemmerer Book Signing

OMG! Had the best day ever today! At my local Barnes and Nobles there was a book signing for the Elemental series by Brigid Kemmerer. For anyone who hasn’t read the series yet must read it. I did a book review for the first book, Storm, and the book review for the second book, Spark, will be posted tomorrow. Even though I read Spark a few days before it was released, but that was because I found it at Books a Million early.

Alexa and I made shirts for the event and everyone loved them, Brigid was crying. It was so amazing. So many people took pictures of our shirts. Then we met this amazing blogger Sarah from http://www.inklingsread.com/.  

Brigid read a passage from her book and was able to answer plenty of questions. And the most exciting one was that she is going to write a novella from Nick’s point of view before the third book, Spirit, is released. The most secretive answer is that she is in the works on writing another series but its super secret. Then after we got our books we stayed a little bit longer to chat, mostly about other books. 

Book Review: Austenland

Title: Austenland

Author: Shannon Hale

Publication: Bloomsbury

Release Date: May 29, 2007

Amazon Rating: 3.8 out of 5

My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary: Jane Hayes is a woman who lives in New York City with her obsession with Mr. Darcy. Not just any Mr. Darcy but the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy. When her Great Aunt Carolyn passes away she leaves a trip to Austenland for Jane. Austenland is place where you can dress-up and go by day-to-day business as anyone in Jane Austen’s era. Of course Jane takes up the offer to stay in the resort for three weeks. Now will she actually find her Mr. Darcy?

My Review: Let me just start off by saying that this novel is not a young adult novel, it’s for adults. But nothing rated R happens in this book, so I do recommend it for any young adult who love Jane Austen novels. And Shannon Hale is a young adult author as well.

            I loved this book. It was so cute, and funny. Little quirks would make me burst out laughing at random moments. And the character is very relatable. Jane is a woman who wants to find her Mr. Darcy. Like any woman she wants her true love and the happily ever after. The problem is that she always compares the men she has dated to Mr. Darcy, and none of them hit that mark. So when her Great Aunt gives her a trip to Austenland she takes. I think it would be so much fun to go to a place and dress and act likes a different person completely. Women actually have to where a corset and no electronics allowed. You are literally submerged into the nineteenth century. The characters that she meets are the best. They all have different personalities. Mrs. Wattlesbrook owns the estate. Then other people play Jane’s Aunt and Uncle. Then there is Mr. Nobley, the Mr. Darcy you might say he is. He plays the role that fits Mr. Darcy at least. Then there is Thomas the gardener the one who has Jane break out of character. She ends up having feeling for Thomas then realizes that he is holding a big secret. The question comes down to should she pick the man of her dreams, the man who holds a secret, or the man who wants as much love as she does?

            Oh! And did I forget to mention that they are going to make this into a movie. I can’t wait for it to come out! I will keep you all posted when I find out when it will be released.

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• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/austenland-shannon-hale/1008295324

Book Review: Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publication: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: May 3, 2011

Amazon Rating: 4.5 out of 5

My rating: 5 out of 5

Summary: Beatrice, or Tris, lives in a dystopian society where Chicago is split into 5 different factions. At the age of sixteen Beatrice and the other sixteen year olds have to go through a test in order to pick what faction they have to live in. Beatrice ends up choosing a faction that is the complete opposite as her. In the new faction she meets a guy, Four, that she ends up having a love interest with. When they first met she changed completely, even changing her name to Tris. Then she finds out that certain another faction is about to go to war. Her life gets turned upside down and has to learn to change with it.  

My Review: Let me first just say that I don’t really like dystopian books, but this is one of the best I have ever read. I think I don’t like those kinds of books because I find them really un-realistic. But I need to get over that thought because I am missing out on a lot of good reads. I find Beatrice as one of the best female characters I have ever read about. She starts out being the reserved type and always does what she is told. Then after the test that her society takes when everyone turns sixteen, she takes a different path completely. Which I love because it shows that she is willing to take a risk on something new. While in the new faction she goes through a series of mini tests in order to become a Dauntless. She ends up falling for Four, an experienced Dauntless. What I love about their relationship is that it wasn’t an, I love now we are going to marry kind of thing. They grew into each other and it was more realistic. They new each other’s boundaries before they started anything. A lot of action, mystery, and suspense are in this book. It is a must read!

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• http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8306857-divergent