Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Title: Halflings
Author: Heather Burch
Published: 1st February 2012
Publisher: Zondervan Publishing
Series: Halflings #1
Source: eARC thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world. - From Goodreads

This is the story of Nikki and the half man half angels who have been given a divine mission to protect her. The 3 half man half angels, also known as halflings, are Mace, Raven and Vine. All three of the boys pose as high school students in an attempt to be close to Nikki and keep her safe from some danger both demonic and human.

The halflings in this book are beautiful, Greek god looking, boys and with both Mace and Raven showing an interest in Nikki we have a whole book with the mother of all love triangles! We have Mace who she meets first and who has the sweet and earnest thing going for him, then there is the bad boy type who is Raven. Nikki is torn between the two of them for the whole book which was felt a little forced to me.

There also felt like there was more to Nikki than her just being a mere human. We have a glimpse of what she might be, but the relationship between her parents, another man and the halflings makes it feel like there is far more to Nikki than we get to see. This is not something that is addressed in this novel and it is one of the many threads left hanging with nothing resolved at the end of the book.


By the end of the book I felt that there were a number of plot threads left unanswered with not enough explanations for my liking. I also felt that there was a build up to some kind of grand plot event towards the end of the book that never appears. It feet to me like the whole book was a build up to something and then the book just finishes. I wanted more story and more action. Also it was never very clear who the enemy was in this book. I like a little bit of suspense and mystery, but if I am kept guessing for more than a book I get a little bored.

I think that when the next book in this series is released I will have to have a very light TBR pile for me to pick this up. If I do pick up the next book in this series I will definitely be needing some answers quickly.

Giveaway Winners

I wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who participated in the recent birthday giveaway. I had a great response and I can now announce the winners who had their choice from my favourite reads from 2011. The 3 winners are:

Michelle at Much Loved Books

Cheyenne Teska

Ariel at The Librarian's Bookshelf

Congratulations, your books are being shipped to you!!

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Published: 31st Jan 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and HarlequinTeen

They call me 'New Girl'...
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.
Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.
Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.
And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back. - From Goodreads

This book is a retelling of the story of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. If you have ever read the original book you will know that it is a dark chilling tale about a new wife stepping into the void left by the last Mrs de Winters. Rebecca is set in an old mansion called Manderley which is cared for by Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the previous Mrs de Winters, Rebecca, and who has little time for the new Mrs de Winters. I love the story of Rebecca and "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is the famous opening line that always draws me back in to the book every time I pick it up.

I found this book to have the same cold and chilling feel to it, set in a cold old school called Manderly, the New girl comes in to take the place of missing Becca. No one knows where Becca is or why she left but it is clear that the other students will not be quick to forget her. The worst offender for making the new girl feel unwelcome is Dana Veers, her room mate and Becca's old room mate. Switching between the story of the new girl and Becca we see the mystery of what happened to Becca unravel before our eyes.

The interesting thing I found with this book was that as a reader I felt exactly as the new girl did. I felt shut out from what had happened. I did not know why New Girl was being shunned and I did not understand the behaviour of the other characters. As a reader this left me feeling rather isolated. However the character of New Girl and the way the story unfold pulls you along and keeps you wanting to know more. The other characters also help bring life to the story, especially Max.

I loved Max as a character. He seems quite one dimensional to begin with, as the jilted lover left alone after the disappearance of Becca, but the more the story unfolds, the more depth he has. I found some of his actions to be quite interesting and left me wanting to know more about him.

Since I was familiar with the original story, I knew the plot twist and some of the detail of what was going to happen. This in no way reduced my enjoyment of the book as this was a fresh take on a great story. The change in situation from a new wife in a manor house, to the new girl in school gave this an interesting perspective and I enjoyed reading the book from start, almost to the finish. There is one detail of the story that I loved and to me was what put Rebecca on my favourite book list, and unfortunately right at the end this is shattered for me in the book and left me feeling a little annoyed. There is a chance that I am just being picky, but for me it was a deal breaker.

This book is a great read for those familiar with Rebecca, and for those who are new to the story. A chilling high school mystery with some bad girl behaviour and a hot guy, what more can you ask for?

Waiting On Wednesday (21) - The Fine Art Of Truth Or Dare

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're pining after.

Title: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
Author: Melissa Jensen
Published: 16th Feb 2012
Publisher: Speak

Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl? - From Goodreads

I loved Pretty in Pink and we all know how I feel about Anna and the French Kiss... comparing a book to these two is risky, I really hope this book lives up to the hype. Not too long to wait for it!!!

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

What I'm up to! 6 Degrees!

You may have noticed that I have not been posting as much as I have in the past. I wanted to let you know my reasons for this and let you know when I should be back to normal!! Fret not though, I still plan to post at least 3 times a week.

Well, the reason is that I am currently acting as Assistant Director for a production of Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare, which is being put on by the Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group.

I have not been involved in any sort of dramatics since I was about 13, so it is a little nerve-racking, even if I am behind the scenes. Auditions were held before Christmas and we had an amazing turnout and could have cast a number of the parts a few times over. Myself and the Director (RH) have been meeting over the festive period to try and sort scheduling and costuming etc... which has taken a massive amount of time.

We had our first rehearsal earlier this week and the read through was better than I expected, which has renewed my excitement in the whole process. The play is due to run in April and up to that point I will be manic trying to get everything done. I will certainly keep you posted.

Now for those of you who don't know, or are unfamiliar with Six Degrees of Separation (the concept) then where have you been? Wikipedia classes it as:

"Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy and popularised by a play written by John Guare."

The play is a bit of a dramatic comedy (with some fantastic moments) which was made into a film with Stockard Channing, Will Smith and Donald Sutherland. The outline of the play, again as classed by Wikipedia, is:

"Fifth Avenue socialite Ouisa Kittredge and her purveyor of high-art husband Flan, are pedigree parents of "two at Harvard and one at Groton." But the privileged insular world inhabited by the Kittredge family, as well as their public status as distinguished arbiters of culture, makes them easy prey for Paul, a consummate con-artist. One night, Paul mysteriously shows up at their front door—injured and bleeding—claiming to be Sidney Poitier's son and a close college friend of the Kittredges' Ivy League progeny. Impressing Ouisa and Flan with his articulate literary expositions, Paul proves to be a sharp-witted, learned young man with epicurean taste and surprising culinary skill. His highbrow façade is so charmingly persuasive, Paul soon has the Kittredges lending him money, putting him up for the night and taking satisfaction in his appraisal of their posh lifestyle. Much to the Kittredge's shock, Paul is revealed to be a highly persuasive con-man, who has charmed his way into many upper-crust homes along the Upper East Side with his wit and insider knowledge. As Paul's plot unravels he becomes an urban legend of the upper crust, a witty anecdote to banter about at cocktail parties. However, he has a profound effect on the many individuals who encounter him, linking them in their shared experience."

I have always enjoyed reading plays, and would recommend this to anyone as a great read. I will keep you posted with updates and as I say above, I will still be here, reading and passing on my thoughts to anyone who will listen.

Giveaway Closes Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I will close the giveaway for 3 entrants to win their choice of one of the following books:

 

Enter now to be in with the chance of winning!!

Emma x

In My Mailbox (20)

Welcome to this weeks in my mailbox where we discuss all the new books we acquired through the week. This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren.

After last week's massive haul this week is a bit light. All are eARCs from NetGalley this week -

Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2) - Aimee Carter (thanks to HarlequinTeen and NetGalley)
Spellcaster (Spellbound #2) - Cara Lynn Shultz (thanks to HarlequinTeen and NetGalley)
Jersey Angel - Beth Ann Bauman (thanks to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley)
Don't You Wish - Roxanne St Claire (thanks to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley)

I am super excited about Goddess Interrupted as I loved the first book, and I am excited to read both of the first 2 books in the Spellbound series. I can't wait to get to them all.

What was in your mailbox this week?