Heart of the Matter
In this novel, Giffin explores a common theme in contemporary fiction, that of a marriage where the relationship has become a bit stale and a decision must be made as to whether to seek love elsewhere or stay committed to the spouse. Despite the familiarity of the storyline, I enjoyed the book overall and found it to have enough interesting characters and situations to not be too formulaic.
Washington’s Lady (Ladies of History Series #3)
Having read and enjoyed Mozart’s Sister
Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters, Book 3)
This one took a little while for me to get into, but that’s my own fault for reading two different series by the same author at the same time. This book is a retelling of the Cinderella story within the Elemental Masters framework, and I had very recently read the first book in the Godmother series, which was also based on Cinderella. Once I got the two stories separated in my mind, I did enjoy how this one unfolded. She actually meets her “prince” before the ball, which brings another layer of intrigue.
The Fire Rose (The Elemental Masters Fairy Tales)
When I picked this one up, I thought it was Book 6 in the Elemental Masters series, but it was actually published in 1995, before the series started. Although this story does involve magic and is a retelling of a classic fairy tale (Beauty and the Beast, in this instance), it differs from the series in that it takes place in America rather than in England.
This book reminded me a lot of Book 1 in the EM series, as it involves a strong and intelligent female protagonist who is pursuing a career in a male-dominated field, and it also brings together different traditions rather than only focusing on traditional western magic (from China in this case, whereas The Serpent’s Shadow involves India).
Changelings (The Twins of Petaybee, Book 1)
These were two of my favorite writers as a teenager and young adult, so I was very interested to catch up on some of the works I missed over the last few years. I don’t remember a lot of the details of the series preceding this one, but enough came back to me as I was reading to be able to follow along.
I enjoyed the book overall and continue to appreciate their writing style, although I do think this particular book would appeal more to a younger audience, especially as the story focuses on the main characters early lives up to about age 10.
You can see all the books I’ve finished so far this year on the bookshelf on my Books page or read all of my mini reviews by clicking on the 2011 Reads tag. I am also joining in on the Spring Reading Thing hosted by Callapidder Days, and you can see my list of what I plan to read this spring at my SRT11 post.
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
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wow you read fast!I’m also doing a 2011 book challenge but I’m nowhere near your number. I’m at measly number 6. lol.