SMOKIN' SEVENTEEN by Janet Evanovich

You know that saying, "Where there's smoke there's fire"?  Well, that definitely applies to Janet Evanovich's Smokin' Seventeen J  After the last two books, I'll admit I was a little weary.  Stephanie was stuck in that same never-ending loop of Morelli-Ranger-Morelli-Ranger.  The plots weren't as punchy, the humor was still there but seemed to be a bit stale, and I didn't feel enough tension in Stephanie's relationships with the guys or in the action itself.

But I tell ya, Miss Evanovich brought it all back in book 17.

Romance, plot, laughs, a creepy bad guy and plenty of my man Ranger.  Y'all the man is hotness personified!  I know I can't be the first to say it.  I mean, I love me some Morelli (and I do think it'd be more in line with Stephanie's character to choose him in, oh, I don't know, book 100? J), but Ranger is the ish, you know what I'm sayin'?  And just FYI, there is plenty of hanky panky in this book.  Evanovich always writes those scenes in a fun/tasteful/funny way, but if you're not a big fan, I'd say just be prepared.

Here's the rundown.

Dead bodies start showing up buried on the Bail Bonds Office lot.  Stephanie and her crew set up shop in Mooner's crappy camper.  (I'm a big fan of The Moon Man btw).  Grandma Bella puts "the eye" on Stephanie and something called "the vordo."  Lula gets gummed by a senior citizen who thinks he's a vampire.  There's a dancing bear and granny panties in there somewhere.  Morelli and Ranger both make bids for Stephanie's affections, between the sheets and in the light of day.

Basically, it's everything you'd expect from a Plum novel and more.  As I said, Evanovich gets back on track and delivers.  She brings the fire and the funny back in a way that only she can.  Seventeen is a great new addition to the series.  Personally, my favorites are still the first one (it had the best plot and stakes and introduced me to Miss Plum's zany world) and the one where we find out more about Ranger (I'm thinking it was either book 8 or 9, but I can't be sure.  It's the one where Stephanie finally visits the bat cave and finds out more about the man behind the mystery <3).

The book was really, really fantastic!  I hope Stephanie's adventures never stop.  That doesn't mean I don't want her to choose who she wants to be with, but I could read about her world forever and not get bored.  I love Evanovich's writing--she's like the Meg Cabot of the adult fiction world--and if this is what the seventeenth book was like, I'm chomping at the bit to read Explosive Eighteen!

And just so we're clear: Ranger is more than just hot muscles dressed in black stretchy tees and cargo pants.  He's got a heart, and he cares about Stephanie.  And that is what I love so much about him.  Although the muscles and the Bulgari body gel don't hurt J

Thanks for reading,

Ninja Girl

MY FIRST WRITERLY CONTEST!!!

Soooooooo, I did it!  I entered my very first writerly contest a few minutes ago, and I feel great--and nervous, of course.  But overall, I'm feelin' pretty good :)  The contest is Miss Snark's First Victim July installment of Secret Agent.  I've known about it a long time, but never had the cajones to enter.  I know most most of you bloggers/writers probably got past this milestone ages ago.  Getting over the fear of putting your work out there, the paranoia that someone will steal your idea.

*shifts ninja eyes back and forth*

What can I say?  I'm a late bloomer.  The ms I entered is my first (I'm currently querying my second), but I did it you guys!!!

This song describes how I feel to a tee :)  I don't expect to win or anything, but maybe I'll get some good feedback that will in the end make me a better writer.  And YAY for courage!  Baby steps, you know?

Have a great one!

Ninja Girl

FOLLOW FRIDAY (5)

 

Hi all!  The feature this week is Read.Breathe.Relax and the host, as always, is Parajunkee.  Go check them out :) Here's today's question:



Q. Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?



Oh, that's easy.  In school, I was one of those kids who actually read everything we were assigned (even though at that point I wasn't really into reading).  Answer to the question probably running through your brain at this very moment: Yes, I am a complete geek.

I'm sure no one else will say it.  The book's supposed to be a classic, and I'm sure a whole bunch of people out there like it.  Why else would it be required reading?

But my answer is Animal Farm by George Orwell.  Just…no, not for this ninja.

UPDATE: I'VE FINISHED!

I have now completed all three books in The Hunger Games trilogy, and all I have to say is…

Yes, yes, and yes!!!

I loved the books J  My favorite was probably one, but two and three were fantastic.  Katniss is still one of my favorite heroines.  Suzanne Collins is a genius.  I love Gale and Peeta and Johanna and Greasy Sae and Darius and Mags and Boggs and (believe it or not) Finnick.  Ah, I'm a sucker for a tortured soul, and this one was courageous as well.  Can't beat that.  President Snow was a terrific baddie.  I wanted to see him go down from that first meeting with Katniss.

One of the things I liked best about these books is how unexpected they were, even after I'd read a ton of great reviews.  No one ever really gave away the twists or spoilers (and I thank you guys for that!).  Also, no one--NO ONE--was ever safe in these books, and I felt the tension up until the very last page.  Awesome is a poor description of just how fabulous these books were.

As I said, at the end, the first book was still my favorite.  I'd love to hear which one you guys liked best and why.

Hope you all have a great weekend and may the odds be ever in your favour!

Ninja Girl

TUNE IN TUESDAY

Here's a really cool meme hosted by GReads that I discovered on Dreaming Dreams no Mortal ever Dared :)

I love music!!  It's one of my favorite things right after family, books and dance.  This weekend my aunt and I went on a roadtrip to find the best seafood up the east coast.  What we found out was this: Me and Ninja Aunt really, REALLY dislike seafood :(  Just one of those things I guess.  *shrugs*

But anyway, onto my choice for Tune in Tuesday.  This song got me through hours of driving on the boring interstate, kept me awake, and literally was set on repeat and played at least 50+ times.

Trial of the Century by French Kicks

I am officially obsessed :)

Hope you guys had a great fourth and enjoy the song!

Ninja Girl

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

Okay, so I'm a big, fat liar.

Why didn't anyone tell me?  All this time I've been convinced, going on and on about how I don't like dystopian, how it's not my thing, how it's just a big old downer and why do people love it so much anyway?

Now I know.

After reading The Hunger Games, I know, I get it, and I am totally on board.  Again, why didn't anyone tell me??? You guys, I depend on all you great book bloggers to tell me when I'm being an idiot and letting prejudice blind me to the wonders I'm missing by ruling out complete genres.  To think, I might've never met Katniss, now one of my favorite heroines in YA lit (and probably lit period).  She was so tough, so strong, so freaking fierce I can't even take it!  Yet, she was also vulnerable/naïve, especially when it came to love. *sigh*  I would've never been introduced to Peeta Mellark (goodness gracious, there were some great names in this bookJ).  Peeta's my new literary crush…if something bad befalls Peeta (as in mortally bad) I'm not sure how I'll deal.  But I'm also crushing on Gale as well--even though he was in it what, all of five pages?  Still, after the first book, Peeta's my number one and I'm pretty loyal.  And also I think he may be the long shot even though he was one of the stars of book one--and I always go for the guy who's pre-destined to not get the girl, to pine, to suffer, to serve his heart up on a silver platter and get it thrown back at him in pieces.

Oh Lord, if Katniss doesn't pick Peeta I'm gonna…I'm gonna…I don't know, but it'll probably involve tears and a lot of cursing.

Since I'm likely the last person on the planet to discover these fantastic books, this next part is probably unnecessary--but I'm going to do it anyway.

Short, short summary: Katniss Everdeen from District 12 just volunteered to take her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games--a yearly televised event where children are chosen (one boy and one girl from each district) to fight it out until only one remains, one survivor.  The battles are bloody, the contestants ruthless.  The Capitol doesn't care who lives or dies so long as it's good TV.  Katniss just volunteered to die--but she's not going down without a fight.

This book was wonderful.  I bow down to Suzanne Collins and her mad writing skills (but I really, really, really hope nothing bad happens to Katniss or Peeta L  And if it does…just don't tell me.  I don't want to know…good grief, now I'm already expecting the worst).  Katniss is my girl.  I wish I knew her, I wish I was as brave.  I loved all the side characters, Effie Trinket, Rue, Thresh, foxface, Haymitch, every single one of 'em!

If this is dystopian, I'm all about it J

Love, love, love this book!

Ninja Girl

CRYER'S CROSS by Lisa McMann



The smaller the town, the bigger the secrets.

This is the line that appears on the cover of Lisa McMann's standalone title, Cryer's Cross (great name by the way).  This small town has a secret that’s both big and horrifying.  In the book, kids start disappearing, and there's a desk with strange graffiti, haunting messages etched into the wood like "Save me" and "I need you."  Then there's seventeen-year-old Kendall Fletcher whose OCD mind helps her link the two things together.

Honestly, I don't usually read books like this.  The plot reminds me of a scary movie--a good scary movie--but that just isn't my cup of tea.  Still, I'm a huge fan of Lisa McMann's sparse writing.  It's amazing to me how much emotional impact she can evoke with just a few words.  Kendall was intriguing, what with her dreams of going to Julliard though she's never taken an actual dance class and her morning rituals (she has to rearrange the desks, markers, curtains, put everything just so before the other students start arriving).  If she doesn't complete them, she feels off the rest of the day.

Another thing I like about McMann is her take on teen relationships.  I enjoyed getting to see Jacian, a newcomer to Cryer's with a chip on his shoulder, and Kendall get to know each other.  It doesn't always have to be love at first sight, and I think in real life it hardly ever is, so I appreciated the slow build.  The answer to the mystery itself was fitting and appropriately disturbing, but, to be totally honest, I felt like I'd read/seen/heard it somewhere before.

Cryer's was a good, quick, suspenseful read, but I'd recommend McMann's Wake Trilogy.  It has way more grit and the same direct writing, and the characters (Janie and Cabel) are far more developed.  The feel of those books, the originality of concept and character, makes them worth reading, again and again (Warning: Janie's gift isn't a superpower.  It has real consequences--which was one of the many reasons this story was so different and so great).  If you haven't picked them up already, you'll want to get on it before everyone else under the sun starts coming out with dream catcher YA novels.

Oh, they already have?

Well, here's what I say to that: The best is often imitated, never duplicated.  McMann's Wake, Fade, and Gone.  They're not all butterflies and candy hearts, but they are standouts in a crowded paranormal YA field.  In short, Ninja Girl Reads firmly endorses these books, and if you haven't read them…well, you should J

Have a great one,

Ninja Girl