Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Publisher: William Morrow, 2010
Pages: 451
Genres: Action, Adult, Romance, and Vampires

Reviewed by Kate

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.
Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).
But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.
The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .
If she even has one.

Okay so I have to admit that, yes I have not yet finished the book. *Guilty shrug* I know the whole point of reviewing the book is to tell people about the whole entire book. But I'm almost done and I did read the last chapter so I know how the book ended. And I will also come back and edit this review if I feel that I need to fix it up once I'm done. And there is the fact that I just had to review this book now.

Now for the review! Okay so this book is not your typical vampire book. Meena, our main character HATES vampires. There stomping all over the world through book, movies, and now her T.V. show! I liked that she hated vampires rather than most vampire books where the main characters just don't believe in them until they figure out they're real, not Meena. She just plain hates them. I also liked that this book doesn't focus on the whole vampire theme but it revolves around her T.V. show. Well that is until the fact that vampires are real. Then it's a whole other ball game.

Another thing that I really liked about this book was the shorter chapters and the changes in perspective. I really like getting into different characters head every once in a while, and it shows you all the characters and why they do what they do. I did find however that the book was not as funny as I usually expect from Cabot, but it did really pick up around one character in particular, whom I really fell in love with, and guess what? It was not the vampire! I know, I actually preferred the normal, okay well not exactly normally he is after all a major hot vampire hunter working for the Palatine, human guy. I thought he brought so much to the book and I found myself preferring him to our other leading man, aka the vampire. I especially love when Meena and our hot human hunter got to together, they proved to be the pair which I normally look for and love in a Cabot book. So I know who I'm routing for! I do have to give the vampire some credit, he was a definite gentleman that I know millions of women would love. Oh, and let's not forget brother Jon, who's unemployed and living with Meena. He brings a lot of humor in the book, especially when he meets our Palatine employed hunter. So, for what I've read of this book, it is a very good book and I will be picking up my own copy, currently reading the libraries, and I'll be getting the next book in the series, which has yet to be named but I believe is coming out next year.

4 Kisses!





Quotes:

If you've ever read a Meg Cabot book you should know that's there's a funny quote around every corner of the book. I have a huge list of pages full of mention worthy quotes but since they'll take a long time to write I'm only going to put the first few random page that I go to.

"And how's my little man?" she asked. "Did you save the world today? I think you did. I think you saved the world from nuclear anihiliation, just like you do every single twenty-four hours. Look at you. Just look at you.:
Jack Bauer was a Pomeranian-chow mix Meena had insisted on bringing home from the ASPCA the first time they'd ever set foot in it, "just look at it", after David had walked out on her she'd been pretty much comatose with depression. The tiny mutt had been sitting in a big empty cage by himself, his huge brown eyes so filled with anxiety that Meena had remarked that, with his blond fur, he resembled Kiefer Sutherland during a particulary dramatic moment on the televison show 24.
When the dog had fallen into her arms as soon as the cage door was opened, showering her face with greatful kisses, the inevitable adoption was sealed, and the name Jack Bauer stuck, because the anxious look in the mutt's eyes rarely vanished all the way unless he was lounging in the apartment by Meena's side.
"He saved the world, all right," Jon said. "He tried to hump a maltipoo in the small dog run at Carl Schurz Park."
"My hero," Meena cried, scooping the dog up and hugging him. "Keep showing your male dominance, even though you've been fixed."

Chapter 35-39 are hilarious but I can't find any quotes that wouldn't be confusing without a whole page of words. I so wish that I could scan all those pages on here, but that would be copywrite.

"Meena Harper," Alaric went on in a completly deadpan voice, ignoring her, "is in grave danger. Lucien Atonescu is a souless monster. It is imperative that I find and destroy him and that you do exaclty as I say if you want her to live."
Jon started at the man with the sword standing in the middle of Meena's living room. Then he looked down at Meena, who mimed dialing a cell phone. Then she mouthed, call the police.
"Uh," Jon said to Alaric. "Sure. Right."
"Meena Harper," Alaric said, even though he wasn't looking in her direction. "I see what you're doing. If you don't stop, I will have no problem handcuffing you to something. In fact, I will enjoy it."

"Lift up your skirt." he said to Meena.
"No I'm not going to do that."
Then, more suddenly than she would have thought possible, he'd grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to her feet. Jack Bauer, woken by the shriek she let out, looked up at this sudden burst of violence. Jon now jumped to his feet in alarm.
"Hey now!" he cried.
"Stop that!" Meena yelled as Alaric Wulf reached down and began tugging up the skirt of her slip. "What do you think you're doing?"
"The femoral artery," Alaric was saying. He was practically dangling her by one arm as he pulled up her slip with the other. "I forgot, the sexual ones always go for the femoral artery."
"Hey," Jon said, looking uncomfortable."I don't think my sister likes you doing that-"

I laughed so hard as Meena was practically screaming bloody murder and her older brother just sat there saying "I don't think my sister likes you doing that-"



This is somewhat I imagine the infamous Jack looks like. Now it's off to break it to the family that we will be getting one soon!

Prom Nights From Hell Review

Book: Prom Nights From Hell
By: Meg Cabot, Lauren Myracle, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, and Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Harper Teen, 2007
Pages: 304
Read: 6/10/2010
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Short Stories, Horror

Reviewed by Kate

Review: If you have ever wondered about reading an anthology of short stories hopefully this review will give you some insight. This was my first anthology that I have ever read and I have to say that I enjoyed it. I was not sure, at first, how it was going to be. I just did not think that I could relate and like characters in about 50 pages worth of a story but this book changed my mind. All I saw when I bought it was the pretty cover and some of my favorite authors, mainly Meg Cabot and Stephenie Meyer. There are many anthologies coming out with some of my favorite authors so I thought what the heck I will get it and see how I like it.

The Exterminators Daughter by Meg Cabot- This short story is about a girl named Mary who is sort of an all things paranormal exterminator. Her mother was kidnapped and held but Dracula and to get to her mother back she needs to kill Dracula. Problem is he is not coming for her, so she uses his son to get to him. I enjoy all things by Cabot and this didn’t disappoint. While it was not my favorite story I did enjoy reading it. It was a good short story that left me still wanting a little more from the characters and story, mainly to see where everything went from the ending, but it also left me satisfied if she doesn’t write a book on it.

The Corsage by Lauren Myracle- This short story was kind of a mild horror story based off of The Monkey’s Paw by W. W, Jacobs in 1902. This story is about a girl named Frankie is a little too eager to go to the prom with her crush, Will and makes a couple wrong wishes. The moral of the story is be careful what you wish for. While the second half was the horror part the first part had me almost laughing off my chair with more than one character in the story. I have never heard of Myracle until this book and I will definitely be checking out more books from her. I was not sure how I’d like it but I did, it was good.

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper by Kim Harrison- In this short story Madison, also the main character from Once Dead Twice Shy, is singled out to be killed by a dark grim reaper named Seth. She wakes up only to find out that she’s dead with two light reapers arguing about who is getting in trouble for it. From there Seth comes to collect her body and soul but Madison will have none of that. With the light reapers help she faces the new challenge of not getting caught by Seth and being a normal dead teenage girl. Okay let me start off by saying that I think this book is a spin off of Harrison’s book Once Dead Twice Shy, therefore if you have not read the book, like I have not, then maybe you want to skip this story. Even though I have not read Once Dead Twice Shy I felt like I still had to read this short story. I have to say that it was also really good but I am worried that it is going to be very close to her novel and I just bought it. It is not that I would not like her novel it is just that I hope it did not give away any spoilers. That, and I am not a huge fan of authors taking their characters from their novels and putting them in short stories, it just does not work for me.

Kiss and Tell by Michele Jaffe- This story was a little confusing, you need more information, background wise, but basically it’s about a girl named Miranda who gets caught up in a kidnapping of her client that she drive named Sibby. While Sibby is kissing every guy she meets, she’s obsessed with guys, Miranda is trying to save them from “the Gardner” aka the hot deputy, oh yeah, and she also has these super powers kind of like wonder women. . This story was so funny! I really loved the main character she had me laughing pretty much throughout the whole story. This is one of those short stories that I hope becomes a novel, I want to know what happens next for these characters, and get a few questions answered. I have never heard of Jaffe either until this book so maybe she already has a book out on this. Either way I liked the story a lot and thought it was really funny.

Hell on Earth by Stephenie Meyer- This story revolves around angels and demons. It’s about a demon named Sheba that decides to ruin everyone’s prom for her own fun. And then there’s Gabe the all around good boy matchmaker who only wants everyone to be happy, seriously. What will happen when these two meet up? So, I have to say that the first four stories were all really funny in there own ways but this story is definitely toned down to a more serious story. I liked this story but not quite as much as the others. In this story Meyer has about a dozen people , some of which have short parts in the story, that are in the story, which made it a little confusing for me. It just seemed like there were so many people to keep up with and a whole lot going on. I really liked Sheba and Gabe and wish the story would have focused on them a little bit more. I did like the whole idea and hope she writes something like this soon! If she wrote a book about something like this I would be the first to buy it.

So overall my first anthology experience was good! I really liked it and have two more anthologies to read. The only thing I did not like was the feeling that I wanted more, as in a whole novel, from all of the authors. At least with Harrison I get one. It was a good way, for me, to learn about two new authors whose books I will be looking for. I still prefer novels but overall I really enjoyed this book or short stories.

Quotes

Cabot- “You see?.” Sebastian Drake is saying, as he lifts one of my hands and presses it, softly against his lips. “I’m not so terrifying, am I? I’m just like you, actually. Just the child of a-let’s face it- a very formidable person, who’s trying to figure out his own place in the world. We have our burdens, do we not, you and I, Mary? Your mother says hello, by the way.”

Myracle- “You opened the coffin?” I said
“Yep.” She seemed proud. I wondered if she’d worn her juicy Couture during the grave robbing
“That’s gross that it still has hair,” I said.
“He still has hair,” Madame Z said. “Show some respect.”

“What about that?” Yun Sun asked, pointing to a clear Tupperware container in which something reddish and organlike floated in clear liquid. “Please tell me it didn’t come from Fernando, too. Please.”
Madame Z waved her had, like Don’t be ridiculous. “That’s my uterus. Had the doc give it to me after my hysterectomy.”
“Your uterus?” Yun Sun looked ill
“I’m going to let ‘em toss it in the incinerator?” Madame Z said. “Fat chance!”

Harrison- “That’s right,” he added, pulling his gaze back to me, and I shuddered. “You died on the anniversary of your birth. Two reapers. My, my, my. Such a drama queen, Madison. I’m glad you’re up. It’s time to go.”

Jaffe- “Good book?” He asked, taking it from her and reading the subtitle, “A guide for Good Girls Who (Sometimes) Want to Be Bad,” out loud.
“It’s for a school project. Homework. On, um, mating rituals.”

Meyer- Bryan put his arm around her shoulders. “I thought you left. Guess I’ll have to cancel the hot plans I just made with Mrs. Fickle. We were going to sort failure notices by candlelight.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to miss that! I think I saw Coach Lauder by the cookies. Maybe I could talk him into some extra-credit pull-ups.”
“Or maybe we could just dance,” Bryan suggested.

4 Kisses!