Outlander (Outlander #1)- A Review

Greetings, all. I apologize for the delay in posting. Life has been hectic, and the latest read I took on was a bit daunting. I finally wrapped up with the novel on Friday and I'm just now getting time to tell you all what my thoughts are about the book. What am I talking about, exactly? It's the first of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, entitled, of course, Outlander. Here goes.

Oh Sassenach... Mo duinne. The things Jamie Fraser is capable of making a girl feel just know no bounds. I was tingly from head-to-toe during every encounter I had with that lovely clansman. Let me explain my journey start-to-finish.

I was hesitant to begin this series, I must admit. I had heard wonderful things about the show, but since I don't get Starz (mostly due to being frugal with my cable company) I hadn't watched it yet. However, I didn't want to go the way of Game of Thrones and go into the show completely blind as to the premise and details of the story. In reading reviews on goodreads, I was wary because people seemed to either love it or loathe it. The overall reviewer rating was decent, but regardless, I decided to just risk it and decide for myself. I also had to choose to make the commitment to an extensive number of books and sticking it out with these characters for a significant period of time. It was clearly time and I was glad with my final decision.

To begin, I'm sure you're going to ask, "What is Outlander about?", so let me give you the run down if you don't know already.

We meet British army combat nurse, Claire Randall travelling through Inverness with her husband, Frank during the Pagan holiday of Samhain. World War II has just ended and the couple has taken a second honeymoon to rekindle their marriage due to the separation the war caused for them. Frank decides to spend time researching his ancestry while Claire discovers herbology. Their interests lead them to discussions which allow them to bond in new ways.

On a solo outing one afternoon in the Highlands, Claire finds herself at Craigh Na Dun, a circle of mysterious standing stones that she finds intriguing. As she wanders among the boulders collecting her flowers and herbs, something strange happens. She makes the mistake of touching one of the stones before everything changes.

When Claire takes a look around, she notices how different her surroundings are from earlier. It's not until she comes across a redcoat officer that she realizes something is extremely wrong. To sum up a long story, she has somehow fallen through time and is now in 1743. Not only is she in the wrong time, she's in the middle of a dangerous portion of history. The British and Scottish are at each other's throats and just a short time away from the Battle of Culloden.

Finding herself among the Mackenzie clan of Castle Leoch, Claire can do nothing but adapt, and quickly. The Scots keep her and are wary that she is a British spy, and the British are after her because of her ties to the Scots. The only way for her to stay safe and protected, is to be married. Considering Frank is in a different century, this poses a problem. Unsure of what to do, Claire seeks refuge in the young clansman who befriended her right from the start, one James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser. He serves for his uncle's clan while keeping a low profile from the law since he has a price on his head for his past.

Their nuptials may have been arranged, but the pair becomes a force to be reckoned with! The journey that Jamie and Claire go on together is something very special (which Gabaldon proves to us through all eight, soon to be nine, books).

The lore, mystery, and romance of the highlands of Scotland, men in kilts, the swoony Gaelic words that come out of Jamie Fraser's mouth... I could go on for days probably, but I just don't know how anyone could NOT adore this series. If it's because of the love scenes, then I guess romance novels are not your cup of tea, because these scenes were tender, tame, and practically poetic compared to other novels I've read in the past. This book really did have everything; history, love, battles, physical and emotional conflict, the myths and folklore that Scotland is known for (there's even a reference to the Loch Ness monster), World War II, etc. If you're not a fan of the love scenes, there's plenty of other subjects to keep you occupied for 600+ pages.

My only hang up, and it is minor, was Claire and her lack of appreciation for everything Jamie tried to do for her from the moment they met. I know it made sense to her character and to the story in order to show her inner struggle, but it upset me. I'm sure that's the goal, so that I could struggle just as much as she did with the choices she had to make. She's a combat nurse after the second World War, and she's happily married (even on a second honeymoon with her husband, Frank), but she stumbled through a crack in the stone circle, Craig Na Dun, and found Jamie. Their circumstances caused them to marry, and she's less thrilled than he is about their fate. Unlike her, he's patient and lovely  in order to make sure she's as comfortable as possible in their arrangement. I don't think she is quite deserving of his heart and attentions. It's a very real tug-of-war, and like I said, I understand why she acts the way she does, but it just made my heart ache. I knew she belonged with Jamie despite still technically being married to Frank.

As stated earlier, these books are a LOT to take on, but I promise you, they're worth it! If I could recommend any series as a MUST-READ, it would be these. Gabaldon has done her (thorough) research and it shows. The stories are fantastic and I can't say enough to praise them properly!

My final rating: five out of five stars

The Girl In 6E (Deanna Madden #1)- A Review

Hey all! I know, I know, I'm going through books like crazy. No worries, I just started a new job so I feel like my binge reading may take a small hit again. I may have a smidgen of lag-time between reviews. So, I apologize in advance if that's the case. Regardless, for now, I have my latest review ready for everyone. Tonight, it's The Girl in 6E by A. R. Torre. 

Having read Torre's Innocence trilogy, which is an erotic romance, I thoroughly enjoyed her debut into thriller. I just came off of reading Volition, which claimed to be dark (and wasn't) so with this one, I'm glad it followed through on every aspect. I was down right giddy reading this book. Take some Fifty Shades (or other, better erotica), and mix in just a pinch of Dexter, and you have 6E, which made me happy in every way possible. It wasn't fluffy or light-hearted, but carried just a hint of hope at the end. This allows for the reader to be both content, and go slightly insane wondering which way the chips will fall come book two. 

Our narrator has been through some serious shit, (pardon my language) and unlike most heroine narrators, I actually believed her. Growing up the sole survivor of a mass family murder, and having the urge to kill as well, it's no wonder she shuts herself inside her apartment and plays hermit for years on end. 

I loved delving into the lesser known world of camming and how it could range from the slightly perverted closet links to therapy sessions, to financial exchanges, and eventually, a full-blown criminal investigation. Our lead alias may have the burning desire to kill, but she also has a shred of a heart left to come to the aid of a helpless victim when one of her clients starts to get wacky. 

Can she really come to the rescue when she's needed the most, or does JessicaReilly19 let her demons get the best of her? This book is a real example of how good and evil battle out to determine who wins. I'm going to leave this review short and sweet, or sinister, rather, and let you guys go get yourselves a copy. 

Final overall rating: five out of five stars

Volition- A Review

Hello all! I know I just posted a review not too long ago, but for once, I was able to binge read two books in the same week. With life happening the way it has been lately, I haven't been able to read as fast or as much as I normally would, so this was a rare treat that I was fully willing to take advantage of. Anywho, up for review today is Volition by Lily Paradis.  Numerous friends of mine had already read it, and they could do nothing but gush about this story. Throw in an intriguing cover, and I was sold on the whole idea. I had to see what all the fuss was about. In reading other reviews over on goodreads, a few have said this was plagiarized from the work of another author. That's a (pardon my language) shitty thing to do, but for me, I hadn't heard of this story from anyone else, and I already had it in my iBooks library, so I just went with it. Okay, I think it's time for a review. 

I'll give this book between a 3.5 and a 4. You'll have to decide for yourselves if this is an actual book review, or if I'm just ranting my ass off because I finished this story at 3:30am and had to put my thoughts down immediately. Bear with me while I explain why this novel drove me to utter insanity. I despised it and I loathed the narrator, but I was supposed to, wasn't I? I was warned in advance how awful Tate McKenna was. Therefore, bravo, Paradis. Your job is done, and it was done rather well. 

I promise I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer here, but let me explain. Much like Miss Tate, I love the "dark" in things (if you can even call it that), the macabre, Halloween, things others wouldn't consider "normal" or "happy". I've lost a laundry list of family members over the years to the point I have numerous drawers just filled to the brim with black clothing.  At one point, I was going to a wake and funeral every week or every other week.  What I'm saying in a round about way is that I could not identify with this girl at all. 

I understand that we, as people, all handle death, destruction, and mourning in our own ways. Fine, no judgement there. However, after some kind of grieving period, the rest of us put our adulting pants on and move on with our lives, and maybe try to make those who we lost proud of us. Tate McKenna never does that and it pisses me off to no end. She's not "dark" or unique in that aspect. She's a child who wound up in a devastating situation one night, and spent her teenage years..... Being normal? There's nothing else I could think of to describe her (or how about a brat?) because she acts the same way almost every teenager does. No, she's not southern belle, debutant normal, but she drank, experimented with drugs, dated the bad boy, had unhealthy crushes of unrequited love,  partied too hard with her friends, the list is endless. If Paradis had thrown in a bonus scene of Tate shopping at Hot Topic or something, I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised. I was kind of expecting it, honestly. I mean, don't all rebellious, dark, but super deep teenagers shop there or something (I'm saying this as a fan of the store myself.. They have Doctor Who merch.. So don't get mad at me here). I digress.. 

Most of her issues came from something that wasn't even a thing. 99.9% of her problems had to do with this guy, Jesse, who wound up in her life after a chance encounter in first grade, and they both made it something it wasn't. Shocker. She does something almost every young girl does at some point by making a mountain out of a molehill. In a nutshell, they were both absolute chicken shits. They always lingered in the peripherals of each other's existences, but never acted on their feelings for each other for reasons seemingly unknown to the reader. At some point, in one of the "then" chapters, I thought it would all be explained to me. I kept waiting for it, but it never came. Therefore, all this bullshit about them being soulmates and ruining each other's lives by not being meant to be made me want to reach for my tiny violin. Oh, and her friends who try to keep Jesse and Tate apart, but actually do nothing because they're too busy drinking, sleeping with each other, or going to school in other states, they're just weak enablers. 
It's like an episode of Intervention. It just shouldn't get that far. 

Let's drop another bomb (except not really), Tate decides to run away from her pain and suffering and somehow winds swept up in a new penthouse apartment in Manhattan (even southern money and a loan.. What 22 year old can afford to live that life solo in NYC?) and smack in the middle of the path of a dreamy Rockefeller. Oh, and she gets a job as a freelance writer straight out of the gate. Schyeahhhh, right. I'm going to insert a few MASSIVE eye rolls in right here. 

In other news, Henry Hayden Rockefeller. Yes, please. American royalty, nice guy, he shows genuine concern and sympathy for the girl, and he's a hopeless romantic at heart. He was the saving grace in this novel. He'd been through hell and back himself, but was living proof that life, love, and TRUE soulmates are out there. He's just the degree of dark I can deal with (cmon, napping in your own casket at your family's summer retreat? I kinda dug that a bit) and I'm glad he was around to kinda whoop Tate's whining ass from time to time. I didn't fully understand how they met on a plane and fell in love after two or three dates and got engaged after just a few short months, but I just left that as their business. To me, it's completely unrealistic, but if I met someone like Hayden and he was into me the way he was into her, I'd probably marry him pretty quickly too. I can't say for certain though until I'm in Tate's shoes. 

As I try to keep in mind, others may be dealing with more than you, and you don't know what battles they're fighting. I'm sooooo soooooo happy Hayden pointed that out to her. When Tate got into one of her moods, (Hayden vs. Jesse and her life is just the worst and she wants to die) Hayden was finally able to point out what I was screaming inside my head the whole duration of the story. She has a heart, she has choices, she cares about people and she has people who care about her. She had some shit happen in her youth, but who hasn't? Things could always be worse. She has a name, she has a man with a name, she has friends, a roof over her head, and a job any writer would kill to have (although.. I wasn't 100% on board with her as a writer for one of the most prestigious papers in the country). I was cheering for Hayden to be the constant voice of reason, and I just had to pray she wouldn't exhaust him and drive him away because then she'd be royally screwed. 

Needless to say, when Jesse lurks in the shadows for the millionth time (and at the worst possible moment), I held my breath routing for Hayden. I almost wished he had literally knocked some sense into Tate. He remained the rock, the adult, and the voice of reason among the shitty people Tate insisted on surrounding herself with. I was relieved when Colin and Catherine finally each grew a pair and told her to get her act together and grow up. They redeemed themselves in that aspect. Before, they were just feeding the issue and made them almost as intolerable as Tate.

The epilogue tied it all together for me. That little blurb from Maggie brought about the true meaning of soul mates. I wish Hayden's mother referenced this chance meeting to Tate on her special day (we all know she had to remember and put the pieces together at some point), but for now, I'd just like Tate to look up the word "soulmate" cause she spent so much of this story getting it so wrong and it almost ruined her life. Oh well, that's what kids do, right? 

I loved it, I hated it, I loved to hate it. I can't decide. If it weren't for the ending, it would've gotten a hard 2.5-3 from me overall. I appreciate the author putting her soul on the page for us, but lord, did it have me wanting to quit or scream bloody murder for 600+ pages. 

PS- as a massive Gatsby fan (and even writing my college thesis on the subject) I wasn't entirely sold on the constant references to the story and to the marriage of F. Scott and Zelda. I didn't see the parallels the way the characters did, I guess, but that's the beauty of subjectivity. Personally, I cringed every time there was a reference because.. Just.. No. Not the same. Sorry, Tate and Colin.

Final overall rating: four out of five stars

All The Light We Cannot See- A Review

Good afternoon, everyone! I feel like it's been a little bit since I've last reviewed something for you all. Life has done a fine job of getting in the way of binge-reading. Fellow bibliophiles understand my predicament. I digress. Today, I'm giving you my thoughts on All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This was one of those books you just couldn't put down. For me, I was drawn in from the second I saw the cover and it just blossomed from there. When it comes to World War II stories, you can't usually say that there's beauty to be found within the tragedy, but Doerr managed to pull that off. It's on numerous bestseller lists and a Pulitzer Prize winner for a reason. 

There's only about ten or so chapters/sections to this novel, but it's broken down into one and two page segments which allow you to read about each character in a brief way and actually remember everything you've just been told. 

Marie-Laure is a girl who suffers a tragedy at the age of six, and winds up blind. She does her best to navigate the streets of France during its German occupation. 

Werner lives in Germany and in foster care with his sister, Jutta, before he is recruited for Hitler's Nazi party. 

One would think a story involving a Hitler youth would freeze your heart to feeling for such a boy, but with Werner, that's not the case. He maintains his sense of right and wrong all throughout his training, and does what he can to survive, but not get blood on his hands or wind up murdered for treason or desertion. 

Marie-Laure occupies her time with her books and visiting the beach behind her uncle's house. After her and her father flee Paris for Saint-Malo, she stays with extended family when her father is arrested. 

Each child's tale progresses, and they live in two different worlds, yet the same world at the same time. It's one that is dominated by war, by death, by destruction. Eventually, their paths cross, and they save each other in their own ways. 

The best part of the story for me were the times after the war ends. When we enter new decades, meet the future, and see how everyone fits into each others lives as they age and time goes by. 

I could continue on and go into more detail about these characters and their story, but I'd really rather you all find out for yourselves. Take my word for it, and pick up this book immediately. You won't regret it. 
The writing is enchanting and the story brings magic to a time when there wasn't really any to believe in. 

My final rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Edge of Never- A Series Review

** spoiler alert ** Aside from some grammatical mistakes and some redundancy (which drove me crazy.. Never end a sentence with a preposition. i.e. "at") this was a wonderful duo!

Camryn has been dealt a crap hand in life. Having her parents marriage fall apart, her brother in prison, her boyfriend killed, it's no wonder she randomly boards a Greyhound bus to go nowhere. A happy future is not part of her plan, and neither is finding love again, but what she didn't count on was one, Andrew Parrish. He is the exact opposite of her introverted and depressed self. Flying by the seat of his pants, he is out to make the most of life. Sure, he has his own demons, but he refuses to let that stop him, but can he get Camryn on board? 

This was the first novel I was able to really lose myself in for some time now, and Andrew and Camryn didn't disappoint! The way they wind up living is the way I've always dreamed of, so I'm thrilled I got to share in their adventure while I stay still. Throw convention out the window and just travel to find life, see what is out there for you. What a wonderful message. 

Toward the end, just when all was going well, I found myself thinking, "f*ck this book". I love but was slightly suspicious of Andrew because he still hadn't told Camryn about his past, and I knew he had secrets he was keeping. Then as soon as Camryn and his mother, Marna, met, I knew something was seriously wrong with Andrew. Figuring out where the story was suddenly going, and that it may not have the happy ending I was expecting just ripped my heart right out. I own the second book but I kept wondering what it could possibly be about if the first didn't end on a great note. 

Needless to say, I'm happy I can move on to the second installment with a proper sense of closure when it comes to these two.

"To Lily!" oh Lord, help me, this series. 

Considering I got through both books within a short time span, I still felt like I spent so much time with Andrew and Camryn. Parting ways with them after such a wonderful time exploring the world was bittersweet, but worth the slight ache I have in my heart at the moment. 

When I left the happy couple in book one, things weren't as they seemed. Yes, they were blissful, engaged, and expecting, but Andrew also had a tremendous health scare that he recuperated from by the skin of his teeth. Naturally, I was nervous for them as we all trudged forward. 

I was warned that a new tragedy falls on these two, and it was exactly what I expected it would be. Andrew and Camryn are blind-sided, but insist on living the best way they know how; back on the road. 

This couple is determined not to let life or hardships get in their way. As Andrew continues to say, "it'll all be okay", and he's not wrong. Each of them lose their way just a bit, but they have the strongest support system in each other, and it never wavers. Together, they take risks, learn to love all over again, and eventually... grow up. 

The life they've built together is extraordinary and magical, and it all began with two strangers meeting on a bus.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars