Wicked series by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Most of the time I find books to read based off of ideas from friends or online searches for good fantasy series to read. However, my choosing of the Wicked series by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie came about in a different manner. During an interviewing class my junior year I was told I needed to conduct an interview with someone who held my dream job. Seeing as how my dream is to write a bestselling fantasy series I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to manage that feat. I called and emailed every author I had enjoyed encountering until Nancy Holder, the author of one of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer books I owned, finally agreed to a phone interview. Seeing as how I hadn’t read much from Holder I began researching her and came across Witch from the Wicked series. I was intrigued but the series was incomplete and I already had a list of plenty of other fantasy novels I wanted to read so I chose not to read it.

So when I looked for books to bring on vacation to Florida with me and I came across two books, each one featuring two of the five books in the Wicked series, I decided to go for it. I devoured the first three before the week-long vacation was over. The story was very compelling. The plot of a group of young women learning witchcraft wasn’t as stereotypical as I was afraid it would be. In the book the Cathers family of witches has an ongoing feud with the warlock Devereux family but it’s much more than that. The characters are often possessed by ancestors who attempt to use them for their own purposes. The main couple, Holly and Jer, must fight with each other’s families as well as their own, toying with the concept of darkness and light. What could have been a typical story is changed by the psychological developments the characters go through.

I will admit that I loved the series to the point where I was forced to search multiple stores to find the fifth and final book in the series. I finished it in approximately 5 hours, not even able to put it down when a party was going on downstairs from where I was curled up reading. It was an engrossing story with characters and magic that came alive and practically jumped off the page. Holder and Viguie are wonderful authors who use the Wicked series to show that they have the knowledge to grasp magic, psychology, and character development in order to write a stunning series.

If you enjoy fantasy series at all I certainly suggest you take a look at the Wicked series by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie.

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Yes, I realize that most people have either already read the saga or they refuse to go anywhere near it. I also understand why people may not want to jump on the bandwagon what with the insane amount of hysterical fans who worship the ground “Edward and Bella” walk on. I will admit I am slightly obsessed (several hundred dollars invested in Twilight memorabilia and a trip to Chicago to meet Robert Pattinson) but that’s beside the point. I’m just trying to convince you to read the series, not to buy all the merchandise or chose whether to join Team Edward or Team Jacob.

As an English major I will admit that Meyer is not the best writer but she is an awesome storyteller. Her writing is somewhat flawed; she has some spelling mistakes, word choice issues, anachronisms, etc. However I feel as though the story itself far out ways any mistakes Meyer and her copy editor may have made or let slide. I know that many of my guy friends make fun of the “sparkly” vampires but guess what? Not all monsters have to be disgusting and gory. The important thing about vampires is that they’re supposed to be seductive which the whole turning into dust in sunlight thing kind of puts a damper on.

I enjoy the Twilight saga because the scary monsters are incredibly attractive but they’re human, falling in love and afraid of being alone for the rest of their long existences. They tease and flirt and do stupid things but there is also suspense and a hint of danger. The ordinary setting and the ordinary main character Bella makes you wonder what fantastical things might be lurking at your own high school; it’s a form of escape from the boring day to day life when you can wonder those types of things. It’s about vampires, werewolves, and special powers but it’s also about awkwardness, unrequited feelings, the power of love, all things that most people experience in their lifetime.

I will also admit that some of the things which happen in the fourth book make it even more unrealistic than the first three but if you get to that point just stick with it. Meyer is able to weave her story together so magnificently that before long you won’t even realize how ridiculous the situation is. I myself hated the plotline until I got more than halfway through the book but suddenly, I can’t pinpoint when, it all came together and made perfect sense. It may be a bit screwy but it’s a fantastical ending to a good fantasy series.

So go out and read and enjoy;)

What's This All About?

When I was in college a friend of mine, who is now my fiance, suggested I blog book reviews since I read so much. I realized that was a fantastic idea and therefore "To Read or Not to Read" was born.

Over the years I've went through spurts where I enjoyed writing reviews but then I'd go for months without wanting to do any. What inspired my most recent spurt of enthusiasm for blogging was when I was approved for NetGalley, a place where I can request and then read and review books before they are published.

After this entry all the titles of my posts will only include reviews of books I have read, some more current than others. I will tell you whether or not I think you should be reading the books I've read. I would love to help you answer the question "to read or not to read?" I'm hoping the answer is "to read" in reference to my blog *wink wink*.

P.S.- I may occasionally have a guest blogger, a friend of mine and fellow librarian named Jenni!