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Mini Reviews (16)




I really like Nora Roberts; her books are a little cheesy but they're nice, light, fun reads.  However, this one didn't really do it for me.  It had a creepy mystery at the beginning but the story kind of fell flat from there.  The middle was slow and full of non-stop home renovation descriptions and the big mystery was SO obvious.  I figured it out at the very beginning and I never figure that kind of stuff out.  And it felt like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds complete with the BAU agents (I love that show but it just made the big seem unoriginal).  I did love the characters and the setting; I really want to live in that town and have everyone be my friend.   3 stars.



I have been wanting to read this book for a long time and I'm so glad I finally got around it to it.  It was riveting and heart-breaking and made me so mad all at the same time.  I felt so bad for the author; it seemed like everyone in her life failed her instead of protecting her.  I honestly can't decide if I hated her step-father or her mother more.  I am fascinated by the stories of people who escape cults/polygamist sects and this is one of the best books I've read on the subject. It upsets me so much that there are still fanatical sects that suck people in to such horrible lives.  The one shining light in all the chaos was the sibling relationships; even though Ruth was the caretaker of her siblings, there was just so much love there and they really helped save each other.  4 stars.


 The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry

I have owned this book for a long time and I can't believe it has taken me so long to read it.  It completely sucked me in from page 1.  I'm fascinated by Eleanor of Aquitaine so it was a real treat to read a book about her daughter.  I loved that the story kind of took the reader on a tour of 12th century Europe; it was fun to read about all the different places Joan traveled to.  Princess Joan was such a neat character; smart and strong-willed but still somewhat naive in her youth.  I did feel bad for her because, holy cow, her family was dysfunctional.  All of her family members were so complicated and it was hard to decide who was trustworthy.  The romantic side of the story was sweet without overpowering the rest of the story which I liked.  Overall, an excellent YA historical read! 4 stars.
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