First Book of the New Year

Heather Wells should be in the final stages of planning her wedding to private investigator Cooper Cartwright, but the beginning of the semester brings all sorts of problems at Fischer Hall, where she is assistant residence hall director. Moving freshmen in usually involves issues, but when a new student happens to be a prince, there's bound to be trouble. Oh, and one of the resident assistants turns up dead...Yeah, the wedding may have to take a back seat.

Heather is a fun, real character whose antics and thoughts are often enough to make me laugh out loud. The relationship she has with her boyfriend is both sweet and mutually supportive, and her friends all have unique personalities that bring life to the story. There isn't a very deep mystery here; in fact, Heather gets sidetracked early on by a noisy rebellion of some fired resident assistants, as well as the situation with the prince and assorted other issues. And really, the mystery's not the point; Heather's so busy looking forward to her wedding and deciphering the problems that that much alone would be enough. To be honest, the mystery was only of interest to me in seeing how Heather would deal with it.

I'm not sure if this is the final book in the series, but it definitely has the hallmarks of being so; Heather's mother finally makes an appearance, and despite everything, the wedding day approaches with all the technicalities usual to such a date. If it is the last in the series, it's a good one; if not, I'll be more than happy to see where Heather goes next.

~taminator40

Underwhelmed

Don't you just hate it when you wait and wait for a sequel to an exciting book, and then you find it so underwhelming? That's how I feel about Meg Cabot's Underworld, the sequel to the very fun Abandon. So bummed.

Underworld picks up the story of Pierce and her undead boyfriend, John, as they try to escape the Fury currently possessing her grandmother's body. Pierce awakens in the Underworld where John has taken her and where he works as a lord of the dead, sorting souls so they can pass on to their ultimate fate. Pierce quickly realizes John has done this to protect her, but she's worried about her family back in the living world, and her fear only multiplies when she receives a strange video on her cell phone of her cousin Alex trapped inside a coffin, in danger of dying. So she convinces John to take her back to rescue Alex, but of course the mission doesn't go smoothly and Pierce's life--and Alex's--are on the line.

First I'll say I loved Abandon; the pages flew by when I read it and I couldn't wait for the sequel. Unfortunately, the intriguing story of Abandon isn't found in Underworld. Pierce is reliant on John most of the time, and he spends most of the book keeping dark secrets from her, which she excuses. The entire story takes place in about 24 hours but most of it is spent with Pierce trying to decide what she wants...and then changing her mind. The fact that she decides she can't face her parents, knowing if she stays with John she will never be with them again, just left me feeling cold, and her conversation with her uncle was just odd. And while much of the storyline centers on the likeness of Pierce's situation to that of Persephone, a lot of time was spent trying to show just how they were different. I just couldn't get past the fact that John was making the decisions while withholding important information. So not okay...and Pierce comes off as immature rather than independent.

There are good things in Underworld; Cabot's writing, as usual, is fast and fluent and her secondary characters are entirely charming. Kayla, John's crew, and even the dove Hope all shine whenever they are involved, and Mr. Smith and his partner are very delightful. I just felt like I spent 300+ pages not really going very far and watching Pierce go backwards in her personality. What should be a love story is starting to feel like a control story, and I want Pierce to step up and take charge. This is not a bad book, but it is lacking in spirit and personality, in my opinion. Not sure if I'll be back for the final book or not.

~taminator40

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

If you think you are sick of vampires, so is Meena Harper. A writer for the soap opera Insatiable, she is disgusted when her bosses decide that she must include a vampire in her storyline because of their recent popularity. Still, she's prepared to do just that when her next door neighbors set her up with a distant Romanian cousin, Lucien Antonescu...who, as it turns out, is a vampire himself. Oh, and not just any old vampire; he's the prince of darkness, the head honcho, the ruler of all vampires. All of which Meena doesn't discover until after she falls for him. Will life get any weirder?

Well, yes, it will. In Meg Cabot's Insatiable, Meena goes from normal every day life to the middle of a vampire war in the space of a couple of days. Meena becomes a pawn between Lucien and his devious brother Dimitri, and her world takes an even worse turn when Alaric Wulf, a member of Palatine, an organization that fights vampires, shows up and also wants to use her to get to Lucien. Meena's not sure where her loyalties actually lie; she's still incredibly attracted to Lucien but realizes that he's probably not the best choice for her while Alaric, annoying but determined, also starts to seem appealing. Meanwhile, Meena's struggling with her own psychic powers: she knows when people will die, and it's this knowledge that makes her determined to protect both Alaric and her brother Jon.

Whew. Lotsa stuff there. The first part of Insatiable dragged somewhat for me; I wanted Meena's relationship with Lucien to progress faster and for Meena to stand up to her witchy boss, Shoshonna. Then when the whole vampire bit exploded, it was almost too much; I thought this was Cabot's idea of a parody yet it was at times too coincidental and over the top. Still, Cabot is terrific at engaging the reader with her witty writing, and once I got into the rhythm of the tale, it really moved along quickly. Despite the unevenness of the storyline, Cabot managed to pull me in. I do wish there was more focus on what sort of tale this actually is: parody or good old fashioned light romance. Rounded up from 3.5 stars because of Cabot's fun factor.

~taminator40

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

I love Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries series, even when the series bogged down in the middle with Mia acting way too typically teen-ish. But with the final three books, Cabot's in good form and Mia's sent off into her life in the best possible way. I tore through this one fairly quickly, which is a bit of a shame since it's the final one. But Cabot's really done a terrific job of bringing Mia realistically into her final days as a senior (living with one of those people in my house right now has given me terrific insight into what a terror I must've been at the time). I'll share my amazon review with you below, wherein I attempt to analyze more in-depth just what makes this series and Forever Princess in particular such satisfying reads. You can vote at http://www.amazon.com/review/RJFKI63X717RR/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

BTW, for whatever bizarre reason, when I copy and paste my reviews, blogger insists on not allowing me to insert paragraphs. Geez.

~taminator40

Princess Mia's back, and it's senior year, which makes it almost two years since the last book left off. What's Mia been doing all this time? Well, dating JP after breaking up with Michael, bringing democracy to Genovia, applying to colleges, NOT talking with former best friend Lilly, hanging out with former enemy Lana, and secretly writing a romance novel for her senior project. Mia's done a lot of thinking and maturing during this time, and she's put aside her journal to focus on her novel, which she hasn't shared with anyone besides her senior counselor. But now the book's done, college looms, she's turning eighteen, and Michael is back from Japan, a successful inventor who wants to be her friend. What's a princess to do? Heck if Mia knows!





I admit that this series bogged down mightily mid-way, but with the last two books and this final novel in the series, Cabot has brought us full circle and beyond. Mia may still be essentially the same, but the maturity fairly oozes from her pores as she faces her former love and her future. While Mia's choices are the same as many graduating seniors, of course she's got to consider what's best for her country as well, and that's just one of the things that makes this a fitting finale.



I never really cared for JP as a love interest for Mia, naturally preferring Michael since he was her first true love. So to see how these two former loves interact after time has separated them is not only intriguing, it's heart-warming. You'll be rooting for them from the moment Mia gets another whiff of Michael's neck! Cabot does her best work in building tension, even if Mia is frustratingly dense at times in her insistence on being with "good guy" JP. It's not a spoiler to say there's a happy ending; we're talking Meg Cabot and the Princess Diaries here. But what's so bad about that? I found myself grinning ridiculously throughout as Mia and Michael do a careful dance around one another until fate finally reunites them.



Cabot does a credible job of showing just how a senior feels in the days coming up to graduation, and the added burdens of Mia's father running for prime minister of Genovia, her eighteenth birthday party, dealing with Grandmere, and a final confrontation with Lilly all bring the turmoil realistically to life. The humor is well done as well, and I loved how Cabot has updated the series by having the friends text each other relentlessly. When I look back at Mia in the first few books compared to how she is now, you can see the transformation not just in looks, but in attitude and confidence. Cabot captures the transition from geeky nerd to confident young woman perfectly, and that alone would be reason to recommend this entire series.



I am pleased with Forever Princess for lots of reasons, many of which I've already mentioned. I love how Mia has learned to handle herself, even if she still makes goofy decisions or embarrasses herself at times. Cabot bravely has Mia make a big decision about sex, which shows just how far Mia's come. But the fact that I feel like I know Mia intimately is the ultimate compliment to Cabot's skill. Forever Princess is a fitting culmination that sends Mia off, not into the sunset, but into the sunrise of her adult life.

Queen of Babble Gets Hitched

Ah, chick lit at its finest! Meg Cabot sure knows how to pull me in. The story of Lizzie Nichols, wedding dress restorer, picks up precisely where the last one left off: Luke, her boyfriend, has reappeared and asked her to marry him while Chaz, her best friend, lies in her bed upstairs. Will she actually marry Luke, or will her heart lead her back to Chaz? Someone get this girl a Diet Coke so she can figure it out! This one did what chick lit is supposed to do: it made me smile. A lot. Check it out.

Amazon review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R5PWT476MH7KQ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

~taminator40

Queen of Babble in the Big City

I like chick lit at times, and Meg Cabot provides some of the best. Queen of Babble in the Big City picks up where the first book left off, with Lizzie and Luke moving to NYC. Luke is studying to be a doctor, while Lizzie is hell-bent on finding work in her chosen field: refurbishing wedding dresses. Things, of course, do not go as planned; Lizzie immediately begins living with Luke in his mother's posh NYC apartment rather than moving in with her BFF, Shari and there's no work to be found in the fashion industry. Somehow, though, our indomitable Lizzie not only finds a job (non-paying) doing what she loves, but she also lands a receptionist job while she dreams of Luke asking her to marry him. But do things go smoothly? Of course not. And I'd not want them to, since that's precisely why I picked this book up in the first place. You can read my more comprehensive review at amazon found at http://www.amazon.com/review/R1JLUBUCUXMDJV/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

~taminator40

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

I love Meg Cabot. I think she's the master of her game, able to write (and write and write and write---where on earth does she find the time?) fun-filled romps for both adults and young adults that engage me effortlessly. I can turn to her whenever I'm in dire need of brain candy and know that she will once again fill my poor deprived brain cells with her marvelous sense of humor. Who cares if you can see the ending coming a mile away? Her books are what they are, and I'm grateful for it.

Big Boned is the third in Cabot's Heather Wells Mystery Series, and probably the most lightweight as far as actual "mystery" goes. I'm assuming this is the final book in the series as it seems things get wrapped up pretty completely by book's end. My biggest complaints about this one, which is the least successful of the trio (yet still fun) are that it's too short (only 270+ pages) and things are way too easily wrapped up. Yet it's still a good one, and having served its purpose well, can be recommended by this satisfied fan for the sarcasm alone. My amazon review is found at http://tinyurl.com/2drlks.

~taminator40

Princess Mia

Yes, I am one of *those* adults who reads The Princess Diaries series. I love Mia, the "princess" of these books; gawky and self-conscious, she is definitely an everygirl that teens can identify with. These books are often funny and heart warming, and they've pulled me along with them, though I have to admit that a few of the recent ones weren't quite up to par as the beginning of the series.

Now we come to #9, Princess Mia, and I'm pleased to say that Cabot's back in top form with this one. Mia's beyond depressed over the loss of her beloved Michael, and it shows; she refuses to leave her bed or even shower. Her parents eventually decide she needs therapy, and Mia reluctantly begins the climb back out of the depths of despair. Her relationship with Lilly seems to be over (hurrah!), and there's even a hint of love-to-come with J.P. There are no quick fixes for what ails our Mia, but she displays courage and maturity when faced with the decision to help Genovia convert to democracy.

The best in the series so far, my amazon review can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ysz6au. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up, even if you've not read all the others. It's definitely worth it!

~taminator40

American Classics With Meg Cabot

This has got to the funniest video I've seen in a while! Thanks to Gillian and the blog at http://litsoup.blogspot.com/2007/11/for-writers-in-all-of-us.html. Enjoy!

~taminator40