Nobody's Princess

Summary: Helen of Sparta (who will grow up to be Helen of Troy) only knows one thing about her life as a Spartan Princess: She doesn’t want it. Unlike her twin sister, Clytemnestra, she hates all that comes with the princess life. Helen would much rather have the lives of her older twin brothers, Polydeuces and Castor, with the promise of adventure and most importantly: choice. So, stubborn Helen decides to take matters into her own hands. She trains on her own, then forces her brothers’ teacher to teach her as well. She is determined to try out some choices before she ever settles into the princess life set out for her.

Review: To be honest here, I never thought I’d really pick up this book. I looked at it at my library once, passed it off as interesting but quickly found something more interesting, putting Nobody’s Princess in the back of my mind for later. So on the fateful day in Barnes and Noble when I passed the book, I grabbed it randomly thinking maybe I’d read a few pages as I waited for my brother and mom to be done. Well a few pages turned into forty before my mom was tapping me telling me we had to go. I was enthralled in the book from page one and had to buy it. I’m glad I did.

I thoroughly enjoyed Esther Friesner’s Nobody’s Princess, it has been a while since I’ve read a book I have enjoyed this much. Helen, was one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever met. She is very headstrong and often times spoiled because she’s the “pretty one” and she realizes it. She is independent, self-sufficient, resourceful, and above all stubborn, in my opinion, an awesome heroine! All the girls who surround her and the women she meets in her adventures are the best of women kind, I think (besides Helen’s sister, who is a bit whiny). Helen’s development as a character moved along rather believably as she grew and faced different trials. It was a relief when she wasn’t thrown into new activities and suddenly good at them, she had to learn, she gets hurt, and she keeps trying. I adored Milo, the slave boy Helen buys and frees, he is just such a dedicated character and I have a feeling in the sequel there will be much more of him. This book is fast-paced, exciting, and enthralling. It will keep you all waiting for the next sequel. When I finished it I seriously looked at the last page and was like ‘Ah!? That’s it?!’ it left me wanting more of Helen and her adventures. The sequel Nobody’s Prize, is definitely on my reading list. I highly recommend you put Nobody’s Princess on your’s.

Rating: 5/5 I couldn’t resist giving it much lower than that!

Reviews from the Pros:

“The plot flows well, and readers will find Helen interesting…Fans of mythology or historical fiction will enjoy this lively tale.” –School Library Journal, Starred

“[A] fascinating portrait of a spoiled child who uses her wily ways and privileges to learn how to use a sword, track and kill game, ride a horse, and bargain for a slave’s freedom. Along the way, Friesner skillfully exposes larger issues of women’s rights, human bondage, and individual destiny. It’s a rollicking good story.” –Booklist

“Friesner uses [myths and] legends as a backdrop for Xena Warrior Princess—type of character of 21st century sensibilities—with entertaining and popular results.” -Kirkus Reviews

“Helen is surrounded by an array of compelling, brilliant women who will certainly appeal to both the fantasy and the myth fans who are the audience for this novel.” –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Friesner’s rendering of a vivacious and nervy Helen should easy win fans.” –Publishers Weekly


Pick it up, its a must-read for those who love the myths of Greece and strong heroines! Happy Reading!
-She Who Reads A Lot

Breaking Dawn

So I just finished Breaking Dawn, yes I’m a bit of a slower reader but…excuse my language, oh my fucking God!

Note: If you haven’t finished Breaking Dawn yet I wouldn’t bother reading. I’m horrible at keeping plot secrets.

Summary: I warned you. Here comes the plot summary. Bella and Edward get married and all is well, Jacob is even back! After a small confrontation at their wedding, Bella and Edward head off to a secluded isle and get busy. Bella, against all odds, ends up pregnant. The half-vampire growing inside of her nearly kills her as it grows. Bella won’t survive the birth, that’s what everyone is saying. She does, she becomes a vampire and gets good control on it. She even has a power! Basically, the Voulturi finds out about the baby and brings the whole she-bang to kill the Cullens. Will they escape? Find out for yourself, I’ve given so much away and I’ve barely scratched the surface of this novel!

My Opinion: The book felt to me just like really well-written fanfiction, but I couldn’t put it down! The plot just seemed a bit unrealistic to me, [SPOILER!] Bella getting pregnant? Um, excuse me? What happened to no vampire fluids? That confuses me, but Stephenie did write it pretty believably. I just thought that whole thing was a huge risk on Stephenie’s part and I’m sure she’s made a few skeptical Twilighters a little mad. Okay, so people didn’t like Jacob’s point of view. I loved it. I agree that putting it in Jacob’s view was quite out of the ordinary, as all the previous books have been in Bella’s point of view. Makes no sense to switch it up right at the end, however, I absolutely adore Jacob even more now. I thought his narrating was so much better than Bella’s, his character was very defined. He was funny, edgy, angsty, and just plainly Jacob. I loved the transformation he made after he imprinted on Reneesme. Ah, alright another thing. Reneesme…this name made me believe my fanfiction theory more prominent. How many times has a writer been told really unique names set off the mary-sue haters? Most people don’t combine names, and oh gosh! Jacob imprinting on Reneesme, okay that made me go WTF?! That seemed a bit cliché to me, but again I didn’t mind it. This is my theory on it, as a serious reviewer I feel like this book isn’t all that good from a plot perspective. As a reader, I absolutely loved it. She gave everyone basically what they wanted: Bella a vampire, Jacob moving on, The Cullens finally giving the Voulturi a good swift kick to their pride. [My SPOILER is still continuing]

The Voulturi on this, that was written very believably. I couldn’t keep track of all the ‘witnesses’ on the Cullens’ side but I did fall in love with Benjamin and Garrett. They were just so cool, and they stuck out to me. All the different covens coming together was certainly awesome. Hm what other aspects have I not addressed? Ah, Bella’s power. The protection, I must admit I was happy with that. I was glad she didn’t have the whole kick-ass stuff, protection suited her well. It was a bit convenient that there were barely any holes in her shield, but that’s the way it works, I suppose. [SPOILER OVER] All in all: The Twilight Saga went out with a bang!

Rating: 3/5 I couldn’t give it a 5 because of my fanfiction senses kept going off but it was very well-written [you can see how much Stephenie Meyer has improved as a writer] and I seriously couldn’t put it down.

Reviews from the Pros: Well, it’s a bit early. All I could find was mostly teenagers writing them, though they often held the same thoughts my review did.

Happy Reading! Pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down! (Even if it is a clear indulgence book).

-She Who Reads A Lot