Mundie Moms

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Book Review- Tantalize

By Cynthia Leitich Smith
Published by Candlewick Press
Released on February 13th, 2007
Source- Bought
2.5 Stars- I Wanted To Like It More Than I Did

CLASSIFIED ADS: RESTAURANTS SANGUINI'S: A VERY RARE RESTAURANT IS HIRING A CHEF DE CUISINE. DINNERS ONLY.

APPLY IN PERSON BETWEEN 2:00 AND 4:00 PM.

Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

I have been looking forward to reading Tantalize for awhile now. I've heard a lot of great things about the book and I really like that it's set in Austin and writing by a local author, which is one of the things that has drawn me to the book. Okay, and the fact there's wolves in it. I had a hard time getting into Tantalize. I really wanted to like it more than I did. What hindered me from liking it more was my confusion on the boundaries between the paranormal characters and the humans, and a lack of character development and chemistry between the two main love interests.

I liked the paranormal world Cynthia created, but I was left wanting a little bit more. There was no clear definition or boundaries explained on why humans, the were-animals and the vampires accepted one another and got a long, except for the unexplained murders that have torn Quincie's life apart. I wanted to see more of their world, and just told about from Quincie. I liked the were-animals, as it wasn't just wolves and cats. I liked that Cynthia added a unique spin and made some of her were-character native animals to the area.

Quincie is a character at times I liked and other times really annoyed me. She's a bright character who's had to grow up fast as she lost both parents in a tragic accident, and has lived with her young uncle and works at her family restaurant. It's the murder of the restaurant's chef that makes Quincie change, or maybe it's that I didn't get to really know her more that I thought she changed. She pushes school work aside, stops going to school, pushes Kieren away and becomes completely devoted to the restaurant and Brad, the new chef. I felt for someone as bright as Quincie, she should have picked up on more of what was going on. That's saying something with out giving anything away.

I really wanted to see more of Quincie and Kieren. I felt that Quincie talked about him more than I got to read about him, which made their chemistry absent for most of the story, and little forced at the end. Maybe I was reading into it too much and wanted something deeper out of the story. I wanted more of them together and not so much Quincie and Brad. In the end I understood why Quincie made some of the decisions she did and some of the things that didn't make sense through out the story were tied up. Over all, I just didn't feel connected to the characters or the story like I wanted to, but I can see why fans have enjoyed the story. It's a quick read with some unique paranormal characters.

Waiting On Wednesday- The Iron Queen

By Julia Kagawa
Published by Harlequin Teen
To Be Released on January 25th 2011

My name is Meaghan Chase.

I thought it was over.That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stay by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

We are so excited for the release of The Iron Queen. It's a 5 Stars, phenomenal read! This is one of those series that we enjoy visiting over and over again.Who wouldn't, you have Ash, Puck and Grimm... not to mention some other awesome characters. We're completely honored to have a quote from our site on the inside of the book! Be sure to go pick up your copy of The Iron Queen next week!!

We are SO EXCITED to announce that we are apart of The Iron Queen, Court Blog Tour. On January 28th a member of The Iron Court will be stopping by and we will have a giveaway! You can find more information about the tour and the stops here

Don't forget to join The Iron Fey facebook group here http://www.facebook.com/TheIronFey and grab the widget here-

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