2015 AudioBook Challenge Wrap Up!

So excited to say I have finished one of my challenges!  This year has had about as rocky of a start in my personal life as it can get, so my reading/reviewing year got off to the start that even a turtle could beat.  Finishing a challenge, even a short one, feels amazing!  I am hoping this year I can keep up the pace and things continue to go well and I can finish all my challenges. 

Below you will find my original post along with links to the audiobooks' reviews I did.

Sign Up | 2015 Audiobook Challenge

 December 17, 2014  Jennifer  Misc  17

We’ve had so much fun with the Audiobook Challenge so it’s coming back for 2015! Join The Book Nympho and Hot Listens for the 3rd year of great audiobooks.

Audiobooks are great for those times you want to read but can’t for some reason like driving, doing chores, working out, or if you’re one of the lucky ones like me, listen to them at work.

I know some of you are thinking, audio books? Pass. I thought that once too. But when you find a great narrator they can make the story even better. There are some series I will only listen even if I can get the Arc I’ll wait until the audio is available because the narrator does such a great job bring the book to life.

Reading Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015. You can join at anytime.
• The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2015 than you did in 2014.
• Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
• ANY genres count.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Shelfari, Booklikes, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc. – I’ve created a Goodreads Group for the challenge, feel free to join.
• If you’re a blogger grab the button (on the sidebar) and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.

By request, a new level (Marathoner) has been added this year for the hardcore listeners and the numbers for My Precious has been changed from 30+ to 30-50.

Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5 
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30-50
• Marathoner (Look Ma no hands) 50+

We’ve decided to go back to having quarterly updates to help keep everyone motivated and to snag new participants through out the year. There will be posts on the following dates for you guys to check in to let us know how your listening is going for 2015.

Update Schedule:

• March 27th: 1st Quarter Update
• June 19th: 2nd Quarter Update – Giveaway included
• September 25th: 3rd Quarter Update
• December 18th: 4th Quarter Update and Wrap – Giveaway included

Audio Resources:

Audible.com

Audiobooks.com

Downpour.com 

Tantor.com

Scribd.com

FREE audio resources:

Overdrive through your local library

Audiobook Jukebox audios for review

Giving this a try, but starting at the Newbie Level of 1-5 audiobooks.

My progress will be below:

1.  The 6th Target by James Patterson

2.  7th Heaven by James Patterson

3.  NYPD Red by James Patterson

4.  NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson

5.  Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich

Book Review: Twelve Sharp

Title:  Twelve Sharp
Author:  Janet Evanovich
Pages:  310
Publication Date:  2006
Version:  Audio Book
Genre:  Adult Fiction (Mystery/Cozy Mystery)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, where bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's life is about to implode in Janet Evanovich's wildest, hottest novel yet!
 
FIRST A STRANGER APPEARS
While chasing down the usual cast of miscreants and weirdos Stephanie discovers that a crazed woman is stalking her.
 
THEN THE STRANGER REVEALS HER SECRETS
The woman dresses in black, carries a 9mm Glock, and has a bad attitude and a mysterious connection to dark and dangerous Carlos Manoso …street name, Ranger. 
 
NEXT, SOMEBODY DIES
The action turns deadly serious, and Stephanie goes from hunting skips to hunting a murderer. 
 
SOON, THE CHASE IS ON
Ranger needs Stephanie for more reasons than he can say.  And now, the two are working together to find a killer, rescue a missing child, and stop a lunatic from raising the body count.  When Stephanie Plum and Ranger get too close for comfort, vice cop Joe Morelli (her on-again, off-again boyfriend) steps in.  
 
Will the ticking clock stop at the stroke of twelve, or will a stranger in the wind find a way to stop Stephanie Plum…forever?  Filled with Janet Evanovich's trademark action, nonstop adventure, and sharp humor, Twelve Sharp shows why her novels have been called "hot stuff" (The New York Times), and Evanovich herself "the master" (San Francisco Examiner). "

My Review:

I must say that this was the first book in this series that I had my doubts about as I started reading it.  I felt like it just wasn't going in ant kind of direction at first.  I wasn't seeing a mystery of any kind.  It did pick up, but I felt it was a bit of a slow roller.  Also there was really only one plot line in this book, usually there are more or the one there is is more intense.  Now, I did continue to read it because of my love for Stephanie Plum and her friends and family.  As the book progressed it did come to be that edge of your seat read I am so used to from Evanovich.  It was more like a rollercoaster, a really high one.  It was a bit slow to climb but once it finally hit the peak it was a real rush to the end.  

Stephanie, Luna, Grandma, Ranger, and Joe are always worth reading a book for.  The relationships alone are like some soap opera at times that just make you want to keep reading to see where they really will go.  I also find myself going back and forth as much as Stephanie for which man she should pick for her boyfriend and bedroom relationship.  Like the other books, these characters didn't disappoint me while I was reading.  After reading so much of the series I feel like I really know know these characters, like they are real people to me now.  

I couldn't help but laugh out loud when reading some of the parts in this book.  For example there is a part when Grandma decides to be in a band and her "costume" is just amazingly hilarious!!  Plus Stephanie's father's reaction to it all is PRICELESS!!!  If you read this book for no other reason it has to be for the hilarity of it all!  So what started out as an iffy book to me turned out to be a pretty decent read in the end.  The ending if this book was a shock and a half too!  So, was it the best book I've read in the series...no.  Was it still worth the read...yes!  Even if you read it for nothing more than to build up more information for the next book in line.  

3/5 Stars

Book Review: NYPD Red

Title:  NYPD Red
Author:  James Patterson
Pages:  360
Publication Date:  2012
Version:  Audio Book 
Genre:  Adult Fiction (Mystery)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"It's the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every night, the red carpet rolls out for movie stars arriving at premieres in limos; the most exclusive restaurants close for private parties for wealthy producers and preeminent directors; and thousands of fans gather with the paparazzi, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert-and they can't afford to make a single mistake.

Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald-who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend-to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they've ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes.

Zach and Kylie know there's no way of telling what a killer this deranged will do next. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail. With larger-than-life action, relentless speed, and white-knuckle twists,NYPD Red is the next mega-blockbuster from "The Man Who Can't Miss." (TIME)"

My Review:
I just have to say OH MY GOSH!!!  I have wanted to read this book since it came out because of such great reviews of it I saw and I tell you what, I was NOT disappointed at all!  This was one of those books that seemed more like a movie than a book for me.  I watched as it played out in my head as I read it and couldn't help but think how amazing it was and how I couldn't wait to see how it all played out in the end.  The writing was flawless and the flow of it was like a raging river, quick to get anyone to the end with no points of lull or calm.  The characters!  Oh my gosh, I loved the characters.  I also liked how there were a lot of characters, but yet a small bunch of main ones, so it was very easy to get to know them all as they developed and like, or not like, them.  Zach, Kylie, Lexi, and "The Chameleon" were just so amazing to watch in this book.  I came to really like them all, even though I knew some of them I really shouldn't as they were the "bad guys", but they just were so entertaining!

The dynamic of Zach having to become partners with his old flame, Kylie, felt uncomfortable even to me.  They do amazing together as partners and always get the job done though.  Personally it seemed it mattered most to Zach, than Kylie to be ex lovers and now partners.  Maybe that's because Kylie is now married and Zach is not...however, he does have his eye on a certain woman he works with sometimes who is recently divorced.  Kylie and Zach are hot on the trail of a madman who is killing hot shot Hollywood big swigs.  They soon learn that he is much more dangerous than a serial killer.  He is separated from reality and thinks what he is doing is really just a way to get a movie deal...in his head.  He is sick of being the extra in movies and wants one of his own, the way he sees to get that is to do something so dramatic that they will make it all into a movie in the end.  Crazy?  Maybe, but to him it makes perfect sense.  It is Zach and Kylie's jobs to make sure the ending of this madman's movie is an alternate ending to the one he has already written out in his head.  There are many twists and turns in this book, but all just add to the amazing quality of the mystery.  

This book has everything a great author puts in a great mystery book...action, drama, adventure, mystery, murder, complex relationships, and a well oiled police force like NYPD Red!  This is a must must must must read!!!

5/5 Stars!!

Book Review: NYPD Red 2

Title:  NYPD Red 2
Author:  James Patterson
Pages:  392
Publication Date:  2014
Version:  Audio Book
Genre:  Adult Fiction (Mystery)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"NYPD Red--the task force attacking the most extreme crimes in America's most extreme city--hunts a killer who is on an impossible mission.

A vengeful murderer, named the "Hazmat Killer" by the press, has taken it on himself to track down and kill people whose crimes have not been punished by the justice system. A video surfaces online after each killing, showing the victim confessing to an awful crime.

There are those who secretly applaud the vigilante killer. NYPD Red Detective Zach Gordon and his partner Kylie MacDonald are called in after a woman of vast wealth and even greater connections disappears. Political and personal secrets of the highest order are in the balance, and Zach and Kylie have less than 24 hours to find what is really behind this murderer's rampage--and stop him before he kills again.

NYPD RED II is the next spectacular installment in James Patterson's newest series, a book that shows "there's no stopping his imagination." (New York Times Book Review) "

My Review:

I didn't think there would be a book that could top the wonderful feeling I got of loving a book after I read NYPD Red; turns out there IS another book that can make me love every page of it, it's called NYPD Red 2!!!  The same characters I came to know and love in the first book come to life in an even bigger and better way in this second book.  The case is just as important too.  I do have to say that I didn't care to hear about the political angles of the characters and the big case, but it was all necessary in the book and making the book as great as it was.  Zach and Kylie are a great team no matter what their past personal relationship.  Also, to say I just love the spitfire Cates and the tell it like it is Cheryl is an understatement!  These characters make the book and add so much to the whole mystery of it all.  

In this book I just loved the look into the personal lives of these characters.  It was more in depth than the previous book had been and I just loved it!  The mystery of the Hazmat Killer is so edge of your seat you could fall off your chair while reading.  I thought I was so smart and had it all figures out, just like Zach and Kylie thought they had it all figured out.  Also just like the dynamic duo, I too fell flat on my face when I was blindsided by how wrong I was and what the answers really were.  Usually in mystery books I have it all figured out, and am right, by the middle of the book.  In this mystery I 'thought' I had it all solved, but couldn't have been more wrong.  When the truth came to light I was absolutely shocked, at the truth and at the fact I never saw it coming!  This is, however, all part of why I have come to love James Patterson as an author.  He never disappoints me...he had movie script books that are flawlessly played out in my head as I read them due to his wonderful writing style.

This is a great follow-up to the first NYPD Red and is a definite must read!  I would recommend, however, that you read the first one before this one.  I think it would be ok to read without, but some things are not explained in very much detail, as they happened in great detail in book one, and they are needed to make this read the best it can be.

5/5 Stars!!!!!

Book Review: 7th Heaven

Title:  7th Heaven
Author:  James Patterson
Pages:  376
Publication Date:  2008
Version:  Audio Book
Genre:  Adult Fiction (Mystery)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"A terrible fire in a wealthy suburban home leaves a married couple dead and Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich Conklin searching for clues. And after California's golden boy, Michael Campion has been missing for a month, there finally seems to be a lead in his case--a very devastating lead.

As fire after fire consume couples in wealthy, comfortable homes, Lindsay and the Murder Club must race to find the arsonists responsible and get to the bottom of Michael Campion's disappearance. But suddenly the fires are raging too close to home.

Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay must find a way to solve the most daunting dilemmas she's ever faced--at work and at home. "

My Review:
Always a joy to read a James Patterson book, especially one in the Women's Murder Club Series.  Again, I am not disappointed.  This book just keeps on plugging along with the women's lives and where they are going in them.  I just can't help but love the whole group of women.  I feel like they are friends of mine too the more I read of this series.  Lindsay is such a fun character and the way her love life always seems to be in limbo is such a fun thing to read.  Every time she thinks she has what she wants and knows where she is going in her life, something happens and her whole world is again upended.  The action is never at a stand still with this group of close friends that's for sure.  In this book Lindsay and her partner Rich are trying to solve a spree of fires/murders in high class neighborhoods.  Also, they finally may have the answer to the mystery of where Michael is, the son of a very prominent couple.  Lindsay and Rich make superb partners and are so good at their jobs, but can they ever figure out who is behind all the mysterious fires/murders?  And what's with the Latin notes left at those fires?  

This book was non-stop action and edge of my seat suspense from the first chapter to the last page.  I don't want to do any spoilers, but I will say that the ending of this book was probably the most surprising one I ever could have imagined!  It completely took me by surprise!  From here I can't wait to read on in the series to see what happens to these Murder Club friends.  I really am looking forward to seeing what Lindsay decides to do as far as the men in her life that she deeply cares for and about.  Will she really have to pick one or can she keep the relationships she has with both of them...one as a working/friendship and one as a friend/lover?  As I read on I can't help but love Rich more and more too.  All he wants is Lindsay to be more than his partner at work, but will that ever happen?  And if it does will it be before he changes his mind and moves on?  

4/5 Stars

Book Review: The Diva Digs up the Dirt

Title:  The Diva Digs Up The Dirt
Author:  Krista Davis
Pages:  281
Publication Date:  2012
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Adult Fiction (Mystery)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Trouble in spades... Determined not to be a garden-variety diva, Sophie Winston's neighbor, Natasha, cultivates a plan to shine on television--using Sophie's backyard. As the cast and crew of the makeover show "Tear It Up With Troy" bulldoze through her backyard--and vacation--Sophie retreats to her perennial boyfriend Wolf's to replace a dead rose bush. But her tender deed goes awry when she digs up a purse belonging to Wolf's missing wife. As speculations sprout, Wolf bolts, and then a body crops up in a garden. Is Wolf's thorny past raising a dead head? This is one case the domestic diva can't let wither on the vine..."

My Review:

This is the first book I have ever read by this author or from this series.  Usually I steer clear of books in the middle of a series because I am worried that I will be lost.  The plot just sounded way too good for me to do that this time though.  With some apprehension I picked up this book, hoping against all hope, that it would wow me and not make me regret my decision to just jump into the series.  I was not at all disappointed!  There were a few things that may have made a bit more sense had I have read previous books, but they were minute details in the big scheme of the book as a whole.  Things that may have been from other books were explained very well, but not dwelled on to the extent of boring if you had read previous books in the series.  

The characters had to be some of my absolute favorites!  They were so well developed and had such big personalities!  I love Sophie and her gaggle of friends.  The small town setting seals the deal of feeling like I could relate to the book and characters.  I also was a huge fan of the many mysteries in one book.  There was a main one, but also a few sub mysteries that made the book all that much better.  There was the missing wife, the mystery of who was trying to kill who in a prominent household, a the if mystery, and all the dynamics of relationships that were being played out.  It was just an amazing and great read!  I came to feel as though I lived on Sophie's street and was becoming part of her friend circle.  I started feeling the emotions that the characters were going through as the mysteries unraveled and were solved.  I was there!

This book had great writing all the way around.  I also found it a nice twist to have the garden help questions and answers before the start of every chapter.  Very unique, but it worked very well.  The details of this book were so vivid!  That's why I truly felt as though I was IN the book WITH the characters.  It was intense yet homey feeling.  Love love love!!  If you are looking for a great read, look no further!  This is a must must must read book!

5/5 Stars!!!

Book Review: The 6th Target

Title:  The 6th Target
Author:  James Patterson
Pages:  390
Publication Date:  2007
Version:  Audio Book
Genre:  Adult Fiction (Mystery)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"When a horrifying attack leaves one of the four members of the Women's Murder Club struggling for her life, the others fight to keep a madman behind bars before anyone else is hurt.

And Lindsay Boxer and her new partner in the San Francisco police department run flat-out to stop a series of kidnappings that has electrified the city: children are being plucked off the streets together with their nannies--but the kidnappers aren't demanding ransom. Amid uncertainty and rising panic, Lindsay juggles the possibility of a new love with an unsolvable investigation, and the knowledge that one member of the club could be on the brink of death.

And just when everything appears momentarily under control, the case takes a terrifying turn, putting an entire city in lethal danger. Lindsay must make a choice she never dreamed she'd face--with no certainty that either outcome has more than a prayer of success."

My Review:
This book reminded me of the reason I simply love Patterson as an author.  His writing style is like no other author I know.  His books are always so jam packed with action and plots that you just breeze right through them.  This one was no different.  I love the ladies of the Women's Murder Club and was so excited to read on in this series to see what was in store for them next.  I loved how there was two main plot lines and then there were numerous subplot lines, but it all made perfect sense, was easy to follow, and even easier to read and want to not stop reading.  I can't help but compare this book to potato chips, once I had one chapter in I simply couldn't stop until the book was finished.  The action in this book was amazing!  Every page had something new and even more exciting on it than the one before it.  The characters were also simply to die for!  I love how the character dynamics are very well developed, yet not overwhelmingly so that the book becomes only about the characters and not about the mystery.

This book was very well written and had all the key pieces that I look for in a great book.  It had a great flow, not stuttering in the action.  It had lots of variety...action, adventure, mystery, suspense, friendships, relationships, and even a bit of love/romance.  It also had one of those endings that you never see coming, but it amazing and such a shock you just look at the book in awe.  I also am left with enough wonder about the characters and where they will go now, that I am looking forward to diving into the next book of the series as soon as I can.  This is a great book by a great author.  I highly recommend this read.  Either as a continuing read in the series or as a stand alone if need be.  I will admit though, some of it may be a touch confusing if you have not read any of the other books in this series, but none of it is super pertinent to understanding the book as a whole.  It just helps understand the character relationships and such, having read the books before this one too.  I must admit, having been a couple years since I read a book in this series I was a bit confused on the characters; as far as how they are all connected and such for a little bit until it came back to me the more I read of the book.

4/5 Stars

Book Review: Eleven On Top

Title:  Eleven On Top
Author:  Janet Evanovich
Pages:  321
Publication Date:  2006
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Adult Fiction  (Mystery)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Stephanie Plum is thinking her career as a fugitive apprehension agent has run its course. She's been shot at, spat at, cussed at, fire-bombed, mooned, and attacked by dogs. Stephanie thinks it's time for a change. So she quits. She wants something safe and normal. But the kind of trouble she had at the bail bonds office can't compare to the kind of trouble she finds herself facing now...

Stephanie is stalked by a maniac returned from the grave for the sole purpose of putting her into a burial plot of her own. He's killed before, and he'll kill again if given the chance. Caught between staying far away from the bounty hunter business and staying alive, Stephanie reexamines her life and the possibility that being a bounty hunter is the solution rather than the problem. After disturbingly brief careers at the button factory, Kan Klean Dry Cleaners, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket, Stephanie takes an office position in security, working for Ranger, the sexiest, baddest bounty hunter and businessman on two continents. Tempers and temperatures rise as competition ratchets up between the two men in her life -- her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tough Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and her boss, Ranger. Can Stephanie Plum take the heat? Can you?"

My Review:
Even after eleven books in this series, they just keep getting better.  So many times authors hit that "funk" after book three, or for sure by book five; Evanovich, however, is still going strong and I am loving it.  Stephanie Plum is one of my all time favorite characters from any book or series of books I have ever read.  She is just so hilarious, yet sweet in her own way too.  I love everything about Stephanie Plum and the cast of other memorable characters that surround her in her adventures.  Being that I have taken a long break in reading anything, much less a book in this series, I was a bit worried that I would come into this book and feel like I lost touch with an old friend and have a hard time remembering things from previous books.  This has been a series that I have always said was best when read in line and having read all the books ahead of the one you are reading.  BUT, I have also always said they would work well as stand alone books if they needed to or you wanted to read them as such.  I now have found that they are written with such greatness, that you can fall right back into them and remember everything you need to or hope to from the previous books read.  This series to me really can be described as a dear old friend.  It was easy to pick up again and even easier, thanks to the slight cues and reminders, to feel like I just finished reading the previous books yesterday.  That is quite impressive to me.  I also remember why this is one of my favorite series, the books conclude the "main" plot, but keep enough open ends that you just can't wait to continue on in the series with the next book to see where everyone goes from there.

This book was a great read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed!  The characters couldn't be better and the writing by Evanovich is simply jaw dropping.  The details, the characters, the plot, the sub-plots, and the way of writing that makes you want to read more and more, I can't say enough good about this book or this author.  In this book Stephanie is trying out new jobs to get away from the crazy life of a bounty hunter, but she finds maybe that's the life she is truly meant to lead, no matter what she thinks.  I just love how Stephanie is always getting into trouble, whether it is work, personal, love life, family, or some sort of other trouble.  The relationships she has with Morelli and Ranger only thicken in this book and I just love it!  Then there is Stephanie's Grandmother and Lula, her ex-prostitute friend!  LOVE THEM ALL!!  There is so much in this book...action, adventure, mystery, crime solving, family situations, friend situations, love, and lust.  If you have read any of the previous books this book is a must read to continue.  If you have never read one of the books in this series, this is a great time to start, remember I did say they would be great as stand alone books too.  

5/5 Stars!

Book Review: Jack: The Tale of Frost

Title:  Jack: The Tale of Frost 
Author:  Tony Bertauski
Pages:  290
Publication Date:  2013
Version:  Kindle  (free via author for honest review)
Genre:  Adult Fiction (Sci-Fi/ Fantasy)

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Sura is sixteen years old when she meets Mr. Frost. He’s very short and very fat and he likes his room very, very cold. Some might say inhumanly cold. His first name isn’t Jack, she’s told. And that’s all she needed to know.

Mr. Frost’s love for Christmas is over-the-top and slightly psychotic. And why not? He’s made billions of dollars off the holiday he invented. Or so he claims. Rumor is he’s an elven, but that’s silly. Elven aren’t real. And if they were, they wouldn’t live in South Carolina. They wouldn’t hide in a tower and go to the basement to make…things. 

Nonetheless, Sura will work for this odd little recluse. Frost Plantation is where she’ll meet the love of her life. It’s where she’ll finally feel like she belongs somewhere. And it’s where she’ll meet someone fatter, balder and stranger than Mr. Frost. It’s where she’ll meet Jack. 

Jack hates Christmas."

My Review:
Having read the first Clause book...and loving it, I was very excited to read this second book in the series.  It was quite some time since I read the first book when I picked up this book.  I will admit, I had forgotten a lot of what happened in the first book, I only remembered how much I enjoyed and loved it.  Due to this I was a little afraid I would pick up this book and be lost or be very disappointed in it and feel like I had to go back and read the first book to understand this book.  Lucky for me, as I read this book the details from the first book started to slowly have the fog of time lifted.  It may not have been super necessary to have read book one to read this book, but it did help in the background of things and knowing why some things are the way they are in this book as well as explain why these characters are in South Carolina instead of the North Pole.  

Just like the other book, I came to really love this book and again be reminded of why I so love this author.  There is a lot going on in this book with many different characters, but it is very well written and intertwined, so it is not confusing like some books I have read that try to do the same thing.  The many different directions of the characters makes the book that much more interesting, I think.  I started the book a bit confused by the switching of characters "telling" the story, but once I got into the authors writing style and came to understand the different characters, it was fine.  There are so many great descriptions used by this author, I could see everything I read, right down to the looks of the mythical characters and the tower that Mr. Frost lives in.  One of my favorite parts in the beginning is the description of the first time Sura goes up to Mr. Frost's tower to bring him his food.  I loved the amazing description of, not only the inside of the tower and Mr. Frost, but also the description of how it all looked from Sura's point of view.  And the description of what was really under that shiny lid for Mr. Frost...PRICELESS!!!  Vivid would be a great way to describe the writing in this book.  I felt like I was watching a movie in my head instead of just reading a book page by page.  

I very much enjoyed all the characters, main ones or not.  The homeless shelter character and Sura were probably some of my favorites.  Along with Mr. Frost.  I may not have quite the time I used to, to read, but I found myself reading late into the night with this book; that famous "one more chapter" line always turned into a few more chapters.  It's one of those books you just want to sit down and read cover to cover without stopping and if you do have to stop you are always ready and excited to pick it back up to see what will happen and develop next.

Great book by a wonderful author!

4/5 Stars