Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies: A Novel

Author: Isaac Marion

Publisher: Atria Books

Date:  April 26, 2011

Length: 256 Pages


This book review was written by guest blogger Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Isaac Marion is an American writer. He is best known as the best-selling author of the "zombie romance" novel Warm Bodies.

Favorite Quotations
“You should always be taking pictures, if not with a camera then with your mind. Memories you capture on purpose are always more vivid than the ones you pick up by accident.”  

“What wonderful thing didn't start out scary?”  

“We are where we are, however we got here. What matters is where we go next.”  

“The past is made out of facts... I guess the future is just hope.”  

“Here it comes. My inevitable death, ignoring me all those years when I wished for it daily, arriving only after I've decided I want to live forever.”  

A Zombie Romance
R is a zombie. He lives in an abandoned airport with his fellow undead, zombies and boneys. He can’t help but think he’s different from the rest as they shuffle around all day without a thought.

R does have thoughts, but he’s not sure what they mean or why he has them since he has no recollection of his past life. He does go to town occasionally to feed with other zombies, one of which is M, his friend. While feeding, the zombies can experience memories of the human life they are taking.

On one occasion, while feeding, R experiences the memories of Perry. Perry’s memories all include Julie, his longtime friend and girlfriend. R feels something for Julie through these memories and concludes that he must save her from the other zombies that are feeding. He takes her back to the 747 plane that he lives in. She is scared and he cannot communicate well with her, but as the days pass they become friends.

Julie tells R that she needs to return home to prevent her father from looking for her and attacking the airport. R begins the journey to take her back but also feels the overwhelming desire to keep her with him to ensure that she is safe.  The boneys, the high order of the undead, have discovered that R is different and Julie is living. They are unhappy and start a fight to try to capture her and kill her.

R and Julie manage to make it away from them with a little help, but Julie escapes from R once they are further down the road.  She manages to return home safely, but R cannot be without her. R, M, and a few others who are all starting to experience thoughts and feelings that they don’t understand decide to leave and go to Julie. The boneys are angry and still looking for the group of them.

The feelings between R and Julie are growing, but will R make it out of this? Will the boneys conquer the humans and the zombies?

All they know is there are big changes in the future and the future is coming fast.
 
My Thoughts

Warm Bodies is an interesting tale of a zombie romance. The love of a zombie for a human which is normally considered hunter and prey. I enjoyed this book. It was my first experience with zombies and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The book does have a considerable amount of adult language so I would not suggest it for children, but if you are looking to try something new, or this is the genre you usually look for, I definitely recommend this easy read.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

Thank you to Cindy for sharing this book review with us. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: Witch Weigh by Caroline Mickelson

Witch Weigh (A Paranormal Romantic Comedy)

Author: Caroline Mickelson

Publisher: Bon Accord Press

Date: April 24, 2012

Length: 154 Pages




This book review is a guest post written by Cindy Phelps Thomas.

About The Author
Caroline Mickelson loves her family and loves to write.  She lives in the American southwest with her husband and their four children.

She Uses Her Magic To Make Sure She Gets Her Way

Contessa Von Hellengaard is a real witch living in a normal world. Tessa is selfish, rude, and if anyone or anything gets in the way of what she wants, she uses her magic to make sure she gets her way.

The other witches in her coven see her behavior as a problem that is eventually going to have them all exposed. They have tried talking to her time and again, but they see no change in her personality. At their latest meeting, the others have planned an intervention of sorts.

They introduce her to Liam Kennedy. Little does she know, her life is about to drastically change. Liam is her charming fairy godfather. He takes her on a journey to better herself and teach her a few lessons. Tessa and Liam go to a beautiful resort. When Tessa wakes in the morning, she has gained hundreds of pounds, her beloved black cat is a white dog, and her magic no longer works.

She learns that she is in a camp to lose weight.  Although enraged, Tessa has no other option but to go along with the rules. As she sheds the pounds, she also gains a few friends, learns to love herself, and may even fall in love.

Will this all be for the best, or will she end up heartbroken wishing she could go back to her less caring days?

This paranormal romance is a fun and fast novella. It was touching at times and comedic at others. If you are looking for a good, quick read, I definitely recommend Mickelson’s Witch Weigh.  

MY RATING:  4 STARS OUT Of 5

Thank you to Cindy for this YA book review. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: The Short Second LIfe of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (The Twilight Saga)

Author:  Stephenie Meyer

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Date: May 28, 2010




This book review was written by guest blogger Cindy Phelps Thomas

About The Author
Stephenie Meyer is an American young-adult fiction writer and film producer, best known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies with translations into 37 different languages.

Quotations
“Don't watch" the redheaded mind reader whispered.
I closed my eyes.”  

“Super-secret Ninja Club sounds way cooler than the whole BFF thing.”  

“I couldn‘t make sense of the mess in my head. Diego was dead, and that was the main thing, the devastating thing. Other than that, the fight was over, my coven had lost and my enemies had won. But my dead coven was full of people who would have loved to watch me burn, and my enemies were speaking to me kindly when they had no reason to.”  

Life As A Vampire
Bree Tanner is a 15 year old runaway trying to escape an abusive father, her mother left when she was young. She is barely surviving when a young man named Riley asks her if she would like to get a hamburger with him. She jumps at the chance for food. She is intrigued by Riley and thinks he is very attractive even if he won’t remove his sunglasses. Riley is nice to Bree, but in an instant strange things happen.

Bree is dragged to a house and feels a tremendous pain in her neck that seeps through her entire body. This is the first night in her life as a vampire. Bree now lives in a crowded basement with 20 other “newborn” vampires. There are often fights among them causing the coven to have to move around and sometimes causing the death of members of the coven.

Bree befriends Diego during a hunting trip to Seattle. He is a wiser and nicer vampire, the first she has felt comfortable around in her three month life. They travel together and discover that sunlight is not as lethal as they had been repeatedly told by Riley.

This gets the two discussing what else Riley may be hiding from the coven. Bree and Diego’s love story is short lived as they discover that the coven is actually intended to be soldiers in an unknown battle with the “Yellow-eyes”.  These yellow-eyes are known throughout the Twilight Saga as the Cullen coven. 

Fred, another loner Vampire, runs away and offers to wait for Bree and Diego in Canada, but first she must tell Diego the plan. Bree becomes entangled in this messy battle, Riley has fled, and Diego is nowhere to be found.

What will come of Bree Tanner in this messy second life of hers?

Readers of Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3) will remember the battle scene in which Bree Tanner debutes. This is the details of the life of the young, desperate newborn vampire, Bree.

RATING:  5 Stars Out Of 5

Thank you for reading this book review. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic

September 14, 2008 (Hardback)
Movie Release: March 23, 2012
DVD Release: August 18, 2012

Book Review by Cindy Phelps Thomas


About The Author
Suzanne Collins has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit "Clarissa Explains It All" and "The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo".

The Games

Katniss is a young lady who is the sole caretaker of her family. She lives with her younger sister, Prim, and her Mother. They live in Panem, which is ruled by the Capital. They live in District 12 where they make coal. Katniss and her best friend, Gale, go hunting outside of the district on a regular basis to feed their families and to trade for other goods.

Every year the Capital reminds the districts that they are in control by conducting the Hunger Games. Every child between the ages of 12 and 18 must put their name into a bowl at least once; they can put their name in more often for additional rations of food. The Capital picks one boy and one girl from each district to compete in the games. The games are televised and everyone in Panem is required to watch. The 24 children are placed in an arena and are forced to fight to the death until only one remains.

When the names are called for District 12, Prim’s name is called. Katniss cannot allow her to go, so she volunteers. A boy named Peeta, who Katniss has always been grateful to because he gave her bread at a time she didn’t think she would live, is also called for the games.

Peeta plays the audience by telling them that he has had an unrequited love for Katniss for as long as he remembers. The games begin and the excitement mounts. Katniss finds herself thinking of both Gale and Peeta and a possible love triangle ensues. With only one winner, there is no way that Peeta and Katniss can both come out alive, or is there?

Favorite Quotations from "The Hunger Games"
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.” 

“You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” 

“What must it be like, I wonder, to live in a world where food appears at the press of a button? How would I spend the hours I now commit to combing the woods for sustenance if it were so easy to come by? What do they do all day, these people in the Capitol, besides decorating their bodies and waiting around for a new shipment of tributes to rill in and die for their entertainment?” 

“I'm more than just a piece in their Games.” 

My Thoughts
This is the first book of a trilogy. Initially I read this book only to see what all the hype was about, as I don’t typically read fantasy books. This was a pleasant surprise. The tale starts with love of a young girl for her sister that is strong enough for her to give her own life. The whirlwind of the days before the games, then the action during the games, add a touch of romance (for the ladies), and it makes for a great read! I highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading the next two in the series.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

I want to welcome Cindy Phleps Thomas to the book review team on JanetteFuller.Com. Cindy is a U.S. Navy Veteran (2001-2005). She earned her BS in Psychology/Criminal Justice from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. She received an elementary teaching certification and is a former kindergarten teacher in the La Porte, TX School District. She is currently a stay-at-home mom and is working on her MBA degree at the University of Houston.

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