Book #135: The Kill

Title: The Kill (Book #3 in The Forbidden Game trilogy)

Author: L.J. Smith

Date started reading: Dec. 31, 2012
Date finished reading: Dec. 31, 2012

Publish date: Originally published in 1994. Omnibus edition printed June 2010
ISBN: 978-1416989400
Number of pages: 241 in The Kill. 750 in entire omnibus edition

Official summary: "Jenny returns to the place where it all began; her grandfather’s house, where as a child she first met the child-Julian. A door with a strange rune on it opens to the most fantastic creation of Julian’s of all: an empty amusement park that Jenny loved as a child. Except here, all the rides are deadly. More, Jenny must survive her confrontations with an increasingly frustrated and determined Julian. Will he really kill her if he can’t have her? Jenny forces him to make the choice—and two worlds are changed forever."(http://www.ljanesmith.net)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $4.98 at local used book store. (It's actually a publisher's remainder book instead of a used book)

My commentary: If I had any idea this was going to be the book I'd close the year out with, I totally would've planned things out better. This entire trilogy sucked. The thing I hate the most about this series is that the characters all seemed really two-dimensional. Smith didn't take time ever to develop the personalities of the characters. It's fairly ironic because in the books, each character has a paper doll version of herself/himself. In reality, reading the books, each character seemed to have as much depth of those paper dolls.

Memorable quotes:

• "Nothing creepier than a closed amusement park." ~ Michael 

Buy on Amazon.com: The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill

Book #134: The Chase

Title: The Chase (Book #2 in The Forbidden Game trilogy)

Author: L.J. Smith

Date started reading: Dec. 20, 2012
Date finished reading:  Dec. 31, 2012

Publish date: Originally published in 1994. Omnibus edition printed June 2010
ISBN: 978-1416989400
Number of pages: 252 in The Chase. 750 in entire omnibus edition

Official summary: "Jenny begins to get terrifying phone calls and soon it’s clear that Julian is loose is the real world. More and more, Jenny falls under his spell, allowing herself the freedom to do as she likes, no matter the consequences. It seems that Jenny has chosen Julian over Tom. But then her friends are disappearing, sucked into the Shadow Lands, paper dolls left in their places. Can Jenny outwit Julian without giving in to his demands entirely?"(http://www.ljanesmith.net)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $4.98 at local used book store. (It's actually a publisher's remainder book instead of a used book)

My commentary: Stupid holiday and getting sick made reading this book take forever. Trying to read this book was basically as interesting as banging my head against a wall.

Memorable quotes:

• "Nothing is as frightening as waking up and not knowing who you are, not knowing it's you waking." ~ Jenny

Buy on Amazon.com: The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill

Book #133: The Hunter

Title: The Hunter (Book #1 in The Forbidden Game trilogy)

Author: L.J. Smith

Date started reading: Dec. 17, 2012
Date finished reading:  Dec. 19, 2012

Publish date: Originally published in 1994. Omnibus edition printed June 2010
ISBN: 978-1416989400
Number of pages: 252 in The Hunter. 750 in entire omnibus edition

Official summary: "Jenny wants to get her boyfriend, Tom, a special game for his birthday party. However, she can’t help but be fascinated by the boy with the white-blond hair who sells her a strange game as a present. It turns out that the boy, Julian, is the youngest of those from the Shadow Lands, a race of evil beings who live invisibly just beside our own world. Once Jenny opens the game, she is in his land. Julian is determined to seduce her, but he has to work by a set of inflexible rules, only touching Jenny where she has reached for him. In the fantasy house that Julian has created, where everyone at the party must face their greatest fear, Julian himself is Jenny’s worst nightmare ... and maybe her dream lover, as well."(http://www.ljanesmith.net)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $4.98 at local used book store. (It's actually a publisher's remainder book instead of a used book)

My commentary:

• I bought this almost an entire year ago. After I bought it, I read some bad reviews saying this series wasn't very good, so I've put off reading it this long. 
• After finishing the book, I can see why all the reviews are bad...

Memorable quotes:

• "The only thing worse than not remembering was remembering." ~ Jenny
• "A good hostess didn't get hysterical and ruin a party because she had shadows on the brain." ~ Jennifer

Buy on Amazon.com: The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill

Book #132: Burned

Title: Burned (book #12 of the Pretty Little Liars series)

Author: Sara Shepard

Date started reading: Dec. 11, 2012
Date finished reading: Dec. 14, 2012

Publish date: December 2012
ISBN: 978-0062081926
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "It's spring break, and the pretty little liars are trading in Rosewood for a cruise vacation. They want nothing more than to sail into the tropical sunset and leave their troubles behind for one blissful week. But where Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna go, A goes, too. From scuba diving to tanning on the upper deck, A is there, soaking up all their new secrets. Emily is smooching a stowaway. Aria's treasure-hunting partner is a little too interested in her booty. Spencer's going overboard trying to land a new boy. And a blast-or rather, a crash-from Hanna's past could mean rough waters ahead for everyone. The liars better tighten their life jackets. A perfect storm is brewing, and if they aren't careful, A will bury them at sea." (http://www.epicreads.com)

How I obtained the book: Pre-ordered for $15.21 from Walmart using a giftcard I got for my birthday

My commentary:  I can't believe that Sara Shepard is still able to come up with so many twisted secrets for these girls to have and so many traumatic events for them to experience. This book was one of the best of the series. The only thing that bothered me about it -- and it bugs me about all the books and the TV show -- is the four girls are always so quick to assume they know who "A" is. They're always ready to blame someone for being "A" even when they know he/she frames other people all the time. 

Memorable quotes:

• "Four liars are about to get burned." ~ message from "A" on the cover under the dust jacket
• "Whoever New A was, New A was crazy. How could (Spencer) anticipate a lunatic's next move?" 
• "Life isn't worth living if you're scared all the time." ~ Jordan to Emily
•  "I had this epiphany. I'd rather clear my conscience than live a lie. Even if that means suffering for it, I don't think I can live another day with this hanging over me." ~ Aria

Buy on Amazon.com: Burned (Pretty Little Liars, Book 12)

Book #131: Ghosts of Memories

Title: Ghosts of Memories (Book #5 in the Vampire Memories series)

Author: Barb Hendee

Date started reading: Dec. 6, 2012
Date finished reading:  Dec. 9, 2012

Publish date: October 2012
ISBN: 978-0451464842
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "With her vampire protector Philip Branté and their human companion Wade Sheffield, a former police psychologist, Eleisha Clevon searches the world for isolated vampires — and offers them sanctuary. She wants to provide a home where she can teach them to follow the Four Laws that will protect them and their kind. But not all vampires want to live by anyone’s rules but their own. Christian Lefevre has been posing a psychic, catering to the upper crust of Seattle society by making contact with their dead loved ones — and leaving his clients faint and weak after each encounter. Now Eleisha must confront the most deadly predator she has ever faced — or lose everything she has fought to protect..." (http://www.barbhendee.org)

How I obtained the book: Checked out of library

My commentary: I'm so sad that I'm out of books to read in this series. I need more books...

Buy on Amazon.com: Ghosts of Memories: A Vampire Memories Novel

Book #130: In Memories We Fear

Title: In Memories We Fear (book #4 in the Vampire Memories series)

Author: Barb Hendee

Date started reading: Dec. 4, 2012
Date finished reading: Dec. 6, 2012

Publish date: October 2011
ISBN: 978-0451464224
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "London's calling. There's a new vampire in town. Eleisha Clevon lives a quiet life in Portland, Oregon — for a vampire. She has learned to feed without killing humans and to train others of her kind. Along with her protector, Philip Branté, and their human companion, Wade Sheffield, she seeks out other vampires to offer them a community and to show them they do not have to exist alone. Now, a series of killings in England point to a new — and feral — vampire. Eleisha, Philip, and Wade travel to London to make contact with the terrified creature, to offer him sanctuary and stop the bloodshed. But the vampire they find is not what they expected. Maxim is centuries old, with no memory of living anywhere besides the forest and feeding on animals. Now, he’s gained a taste for human blood. Philip thinks he’s too dangerous to save, but Eleisha won’t give up... even at the cost of Philip’s love and her own life." (http://www.barbhendee.org)

How I obtained the book: Bought using a Walmart giftcard I earned through plink.com

My commentary:  I remain pleasantly surprised by how much I love this series. Hendee's writing reminds me a lot of Richelle Mead's writing, and I love how Mead writes. Hendee seems to subscribe to the "introduce a character, make reader love character, kill character" method. She's killed off two characters that I really liked, but I'm ok with it because she did it in a way that really moved the plot forward.

Buy on Amazon.com: In Memories We Fear: A Vampire Memories Novel