$10,000,000 Marriage Proposal review

The Basics

Book Title: $10,000,000 Marriage Proposal

Author: James Patterson with Hilary Liftin

Pages: 115

ISBN: 978-0-31-631719-1

Genre: Romance, Short stories

Summary

A billboard is displayed in L.A. stating that a man is looking for a serious candidate to marry, in which the "winner" will also receive 10 million dollars. The story follows three women who reply to the ad. 

Thoughts

It has taken me a while to get this review out because I truly didn't care for it. I picked it up with the intrigue that it was about 100 pages long and romance, hoping that I could get my romance kick, which I occasionally have, fulfilled within a couple of hours. Ironically, I think that was one of the reasons I didn't really like this book. I felt like I had no time at all to get to know these characters at all and by the end, I didn't really care who the guy ended up with (even though I pretty much knew who it would be). The whole point of reading a romance book is to enjoy the relationship that develops between the two characters and there's none of it here. The only time the "winner" and the guy actually talk to each other is in the last chapter or two of the book! No joke!

Secondly, I didn't like the stereotypical, bland character stories for the three women in the first place. One is made out to be extremely smart with technology and shows a complete disinterest in getting attached. So...she's obviously not an option. The second is a TV producer who's show just flopped and can see the potential of making this same scenario into a TV show that could put her back on top. She's written in a way as if she's just in the running to scam the guy and make money off of him. There are a couple of times where it seems she genuinely wants to find a guy, but the author makes it BLATANTLY in your face that she's all about her job, as if it's a bad thing. 

Then, we've got the social worker who still lives with her mom and has huge problem with her self-esteem.  

-.- *deep breath*

When describing her job, she states that all the kids she works with are so happy to talk with her and feel like their voice is heard in the midst of the foster care system. Now, I worked with social workers and I've worked with at-risk youth and I can tell you now that most of those kids didn't have a good relationship with their social worker. There would be some days that they want to talk to them and some days that they don't. Every social worker I worked with was extremely pleasant, but overly exhausted. These people are overworked, underpaid, and under appreciated. There's no way that this character would get satisfaction from the kids alone because sometimes their reactions to life are the most heart-breaking of all. I'm not saying that social workers don't get some reward from their kids. Sometimes they are glad to see them and sometimes the social worker is able to pull through for their kiddo and make things work. Those moments DO happen, but not often enough. I'm glad her job title doesn't take too much of a spotlight in the story because it's one of the character developments that pissed me off the most. It also irks me that she's still living with her mom, as if someone with her personality couldn't live on her own. The story does state that she's having financial and previous roommate problems, but still. They make her out to be incredibly needy instead of having her be a strong woman. Because believe me, if you're a social worker, you have to have some backbone in you. 

Okay, off my soapbox there. Like I mentioned earlier, not much of the story actually has interaction between the millionaire and the ladies in the story. There's multiple stages they have to get through and there's a few times where the ladies are talking to a man, so we "wonder" if that's the millionaire or not. I closed the book not feeling satisfied with it at all. The relationship wasn't there, the romance wasn't there, and I couldn't relate to any of the characters at all. I do have to say that one positive aspect of it was that I did keep turning the page to find out how things ended. I was curious about how they would reveal the millionaire and if there would be side romances with the other two ladies who didn't get the guy. So, I didn't put the book down and I did keep turning the page, but it had no payout at the end. 

Pros vs. Cons

• Pros
• Kept turning the page to find out what happened
• Cons
• Poor character development 
• No romance in the story
• Poor representation of women's roles/identities
• Didn't get that "happily ever after" feel by the end

Overall Rating

⭐⭐

What are your thoughts? Should I give a different "Bookshot" a try? Is there one you would recommend that might change my mind about such a short book?

The Well of Ascension review

The Basics

Book Title: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Pages: 756

ISBN: 978-0-7653-7714-2

Genre: Fantasy

Defining Quote

"We will die to show that there are skaa who will not be bullied, who will not back down. This is a very important precedent, I think. In the histories and legends, this is the kind of event that inspires. If the skaa are ever to take rule of themselves, there will need to be sacrifices they can look to for motivation." - pg. 570

Summary

This the second book to the Mistborn series. The book is set a year after the end of the first book, The Final Empire, and the main characters are trying to figure out how to keep the brand new empire from falling apart before it even begins. 

Thoughts

Once again, this book took WAY longer than I originally intended. At first, I was getting through it pretty quickly because I knew the world and the characters. Then I started reading other books and I kept putting this one off until late at night because "I was getting through it so fast", but then never got to it because I was tired. I checked it out from the library twice, even after renewing it the max amount of times. And now, after starting it, officially, in September, I have now finished it. Why in the world did it take me that long to finish? That's a difficult question for me to answer. 

When I look back on this book after just finishing it, I truly enjoyed the ride. I remember the action scenes and appreciating them more because I understand the magic system better than I did during The Final Empire. I remember the political battles between people and really enjoying the tension through those scenes. Seriously, I think I was more enthralled in those tense moments than I was during some of the action scenes! I was left hanging to the last page on what was going to happen and couldn't guess the twist until it was revealed at the very end. Some of the main characters, such as Vin and Elend, are flushed out even further in this book, which made me understand their motivations and actions. 

I absolutely loved the plot and the characters, so why did it take 5 months to actually finish this book? Why did it take so long for me to finish the first book as well? 

I think that this is one of those series that I have to devote myself solely to this book and no other while I'm reading it. It's a book that I was able to pick up and immediately be back in the world again, so it made it easy to put down and jump into a different book that takes a couple chapters before I get into that world again. It has a different feel to it than other books, but I can't necessarily put my finger on what makes it different. 

In a lot of fantasy novels, you meet the hero, get to know him/her, and then wait to see how they're going to save the day by the end of the book. This series isn't like that at all. You will feel pain for these characters. The main characters don't always win, even when it's for the best. The struggle for them is completely realistic and it makes me drawn to them even more because I want them to succeed. If they win and live another day, then so can I. When they lose things along their journey, I can truly identify with the thoughts of whether that loss is really going to amount to anything or wondering if it was all for nothing. 

Overall, I'd say this series makes me want to stand for what is right, even though I may fall along the way. 

Pros vs. Cons

• Pros
• Great character development, especially with Vin and Elend
• Great political battles
• Fast-paced action interspersed throughout
• Cons
• Needs all of your attention - don't recommend reading another book at the same time

Overall Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts of this book/series? Let me know in the comments below!

Bone #8 and 9 review

 The Basics

Book Titles: Treasure Hunters (#8), Crown of Horns (#9)

Author: Jeff Smith

ISBNs: 978-0-439-70630-8, 978-0-439-70631-5

Genre: Fantasy, Comic books

Summary

We're down to the conclusion of the Bone series where Thorn and Fone Bone try to save the world from the Lord of Locusts. 

Thoughts

This is going to be relatively short due to the fact that I don't want to give too much away, since it is the end of the series, and the simplicity of the books compared to others I'm currently reading.

I found these books to be the main climax of the story and it felt nice to see the continuity in the characters throughout. Some of the major characters do change in minor ways, but the changes are nothing out of character where everyone is doing the right thing. For example, one character is known for trying to make a quick buck at all times and even to the end, while he changes, it's not to the extent that his actions are no longer true to his personality. I do feel that the plot would have carried itself better if I read it all in one go so it was all fresh in my mind. I started reading this series June 2016 with a lot of books in-between. I have seen a compendium of all the volumes simply titled Bone, which I think would be the best format to read this in. 

I don't know if it is due to reading epic fantasies recently, but I wish the conclusion of this journey last longer than it did. It seemed the final moment that we've been building up to came and went in two pages. Again, this might help if I read the entire story in a shorter period of time and keep in mind that this series is meant for a younger audience. 

Overall, I say it's an enjoyable read. I always liked the humor spread throughout the series and enjoyed the turns in the story. If you want to get a middle schooler into reading, this is a GREAT series to start with. There is a lot of light-hearted adventure, but also gives a mature feel for audiences wishing to be treated like adults. 

Pros vs. Cons

• Pros
• Great introduction to fantasy
• Easy to read and be engaged
• Lots of action to reel you in
• Cons
• Can be hard to keep the momentum if too much time in between volumes
• Somewhat abrupt conclusion

Overall Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Have you read the Bone series? Is there another tween comic book series out there that you would like to recommend? Let me know in the comments below :)