Of Paper And Words

Okay. I'm going to tell you that I'm changing the URL of kittikat.blogspot.com to ofpaperandwords.blogspot.com. I will tell you that it is really annoying to type "kittikat" because of all the ks and ts, but that isn't the reason why. 

But I will be happy to see you around. Even though I'm being rather cryptic. 

-Alice of Wonderland

Defy by Sara B. Larson Review

"A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle.

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?"

Well, this is definitely a retelling of Mulan in a weird way. The difference is that practically everyone knew she was a woman. Or he was a woman? Alexa is a woman. That is a much better way of saying this. Alright, I'm going to say this: Defy is just... Pft. Very disappointing. There is a lot of potential for greatness, but the author totally blew it. 

For starters, there is rather slow plot. When I say, I mean slow. It is like the one third point of the book, and there is nothing about being held captive like what the synopsis promise. Yes, it does happen eventually, but... So slow! And I couldn't get into Defy. I thought I would like it, but the synopsis just fell through. Pft. 

I can't tell whether or not I sympathize with Alexa (or Alex). Definitely not. Because I keep on making fun of her and insulting her in ways. Then again, I'm more upset at how disappointing the plot is. And I absolutely hate the love triangle. I loathe it. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy love triangles (like Peeta/Katniss/Gale and Rachel/Percy/Annabeth and Dimitri/Rose/Adrian), but this... This is just horrible. I hated it. No chemistry between her and Rylan. Damian and her is better, but thank goodness it is tolerable. 

(Oh, yeah. I skip over those Rylan/Alexa parts. It is so obvious who she is going to end up with. Always the dark and mysterious type. Oh, spoilers? Eh... I don't think so. What? Cinderella always gets the prince in the end). 

Damian vs. Rylan. Even though I hate these two male love interest fights, I will compare these two. And then, I'm so over it. First up, we have Damian on one side. He is very mysterious, plus a Crown Prince of his kingdom. And so handsome and dreamy (though not to me). However, he may or may not be a traitor to his kingdom and keeps a lot of secrets away from the main character, Alexa. Alex. Alexa. Never mind. Now we have Rylan. He is cute and loyal. He keeps tabs on Alexa, because her brother demands the loyalty and probably would still be watching over her despite that promise. A soldier, he is a good fighter, but he isn't as good as Alexa. After all, he keeps on losing to her, which only proves that she is probably an Amazon warrior. But enough of that. Alexa, who are you going to choose?

Alexa: I don't know. I keep pushing them both away, because it isn't right. We have the attraction, but he's a prince! And he's a friend! Blah, blah, blah, blah. 

Oh, I think I made fun of them a little too well. Well, from this, you can probably tell that I'm very upset and disappointed by Defy. 

Rating: One out of Five

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George Review

"A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… 

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. 

Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew."

No, I'm not going to go on a fairy tale spree. Not yet. I still have to finish my other to-reads books, because they deserve more attention and interest. This is one last book before I read the other books. Just in case something is rotten. Then at least, I have a good book to think about. A really good book to think about. Like Once Upon a Time-ish. 

Princess of the Midnight Ball is obviously based on the tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. There is a Barbie version of that tale, I believe. The eldest princess ends up with the shoemaker in that tale, right? I can't remember, but I know it was much more pleasant than this one when the girls were forced to dance all night long. Midnight, you might say. And yes, it is sick.

Before I start cracking down on the finer points of this fairy tale retelling, I'm going to say that I'm a fan of Jessica Day George. She is good. I loved her retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon (which might be the wrongly stated, but please correct me if I do state it wrong). They are all good. Every retelling I'd read so far. And this one is no exception. Princess of the Midnight Ball might have a long title, but it is good and I couldn't let go. It was addicting and fast, and I really enjoyed the book being told from two perspective. Princess Rose (the eldest daughter and princess, obviously) and Galen (the gardener). 

This book still follows the original tale. There are some parts of it that makes you so surprise by the little things. Like that old hag who gifts Galen an invisibility cloak. I'm sure Jessica Day George takes pleasure in stating how an invisibility cloak is dangerous. Hint: You can't be seen.

Princess of the Midnight Ball explores the other details of the old tale. It goes in to describe the bad forces and the mysteries of the entire world. There is magic, yes. But the whole thing remains mysterious. And I really liked it. The author's writing captivated me from the beginning to the end. Now I want to reread the second book (which I read a long time ago).

And I can see no fault to this book. It is better than I thought and exceeded my expectations.  
Galen takes center stage, unlike the princess. Well, he takes most of center stage. His character is louder than any other, and I like him the most of all. Even over Rose, yes. Well, I'm done now. So tired. And sleepy. (Night). 

Rating: Five out of Five

Secrets of a First Daughter by Cassidy Calloway Review

"Morgan is a National Disaster. 

Morgan Abbott couldn’t be happier. Super-cute Max has quit her Secret Service detail to be her (secret) boyfriend, and the annoying Brittany Whittaker has been ousted from class president, leaving the post open for Morgan! Life is pretty sweet.

Now Morgan just has to tackle college applications—but she has so much else to juggle that looking that far ahead seems impossible! Good thing she’s graceful under pressure . . . well, sometimes.

A trip to London should be just the thing to take her mind off all the craziness, but true to form, chaos follows Morgan wherever she goes—and the trip turns into an international disaster. Can she make it right? Or will she cause a royal mess?"

Secrets of a First Daughter is good, too. I can't decide which one (the prequel or this book) I liked better. Hmm... I call it a tie. They are both good, and very cheesy. Very cheesy. It is definitely for the young teens. And fans of The Princess Diaries. Or other similar Chick Lit books. That is all I have to say on that subject.

Anyway. Morgan is certainly a National Disaster. She gets in the kind of trouble that you wouldn't believe in. She is just like Mia (in the movies). Totally clumsy (oh, gosh, practically verging on Bella-ish). On the bright side, she does have a personality. Unlike that freaking piece of marble. (I was just looking on Goodreads and saw that Twilight is read more than Harry Potter in one certain year. Makes me worried about the future generation, eh?).

The plot is good and easy enough to follow along. I'll give points for that. Cassidy Calloway is good at making the plot go by quickly enough, and the shortness of the book totally helps. Umm... Umm... Oh, yes. She makes very witty and clever remarks that make Morgan Abbott very human and totally relatable. I'm old (mentally and maybe physically; and possibly not mentally) compared to the age of the targeted reader (which is probably around twelve or thirteen). And I can still understand that cheeky, sassy, and clever girl, who has doubts and flaws in her personality. What is great is that she accepts it and moves on.

Speaking of moving on, Calloway puts a great lesson in this book. Not going to mention it, because it is somewhat spoiler. 

The ending is a short. I was totally surprised. I didn't even see it. I'm not kidding. The author sort of made the book more believeable thanks to that little surprise (about Jackson and the President). But then again, it is really shocking. And I do like the ending. Double kiss. Oh, crap. That was a sort of spoiler. Darn.

Overall, Secrets of a First Daughter needs a shorter title. But it is a great book, best for the younger readers. I did enjoy it, and I thought it was a great book to escape in. I could just forget about the world around me as I sit and read quietly. Love it. It might be Chick Lit, but for its adorableness and romance (yes, Agent Max Jackson; a bit of him, I guess), it totally wins.

And I do like the disguises.

Rating: Four out of Five

Confessions of a First Daughter by Cassidy Calloway Review

"Morgan Abbott has no social life and no privacy, and her every screwup makes front page news. That’s what happens when your mom’s the president of the United States—and Morgan is sooo over it. But now her mom needs a presidential stand-in! With the help of Morgan’s cute new secret service agent, a little makeup, and a lot of family resemblance, she’s soon seeing things from the other side of the desk.

On the heels of a historic election, books about girls in politics are more popular than ever. Readers won’t be able to resist the smart, spunky, klutzy-yet-lovable heroine in this fresh and fun new teen novel!"

Oh, my goodness. I think I should had read Confessions of a First Daughter a long time ago. It is funny, witty, and definitely for the YA readers, but that is okay. Teen read or not, Confessions of a First Daughter is amusing and very easy to connect with. Morgan Abbott is a nice character, and she is certainly a tornado. 

If you liked The Princess Diaries, you would most certainly like Confessions of a First Daughter. Well, maybe. Maybe not. It is a bit cheesy in my opinion, but I do like to be fooled sometimes. Be swept away by some handsome knight. What? Are you going to roll your eyes at me for being a romantic? Well, I guess I'm not that romantic, eh? Haha. I'm totally hilarious, don't you think? I think I am.

Confessions of a First Daughter is delightful. The book is short, and the plot goes by fast. I really enjoy following along to the misadventures of Morgan Abbott. The character is stunning despite all of her missteps and craziness. And I do love her and Hannah. They are funny and amusing. I'm practically squealing whenever they gossip about the new secret service agent. It is so much fun. Hannah, by the way, totally takes on the attitude of the readers.

Max Jackson is totally swoonworthy. However, his character is really hard to believe in. He is twenty years old, but the age requirement for the US Secret Service is twenty-one years old. Just around the drinking age for the US. He is a genius, so that is probably way he got the age requirements wavered in his favor. Still, it is really interesting to see his past, and it is even more fun to see his character growth, no matter how slow it is.

And Morgan Abbott. She is witty, and she never lets something get down. I liked her (and Max) so much that I practically sprinted to read the next novel. Actually, I stayed right here in my nice wood chair. I have a rather large library with even more boxes of books in the garage. (Unfortunately, I can not find Harry Potter in there). 

Confessions of a First Daughter is impressive despite some cheesy parts. It is a nice fresh novel with some hilarious moments.

I should note that points will be docked for unrealistic guys and cheesiness. But it is mostly on the cheesiness. I wasn't bothered at all when I read A Girl Named Digit. Well, maybe a little.

Rating: Four out of Five