A Feast for Crows ( a Song of Ice and Fire, book 4) by George R.R Martin

After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. But it's not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather. Now, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—emerge from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges of the terrible times ahead. Nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages, are coming together to stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.Goodreads

Meanwhile back at the wall  reads the last chapter of a  Feast for Crows that's not a chapter. It's a letter or some words from George Martin explaining WHY Tyrion, Bran, Daenerys, Jon, Davos, Stannis and all the other characters are absent! It's very well written this letter and I'm not really annoyed He is after all the story teller and I'm just the eager listener waiting .

On to the book:  it wasn't as devastating as a Storm of Swords but I did have another reluctant phase when I saw that Cersei had chapters . I mean really ?? I had to endure being in Jaime's mind( which I'll admit wasn't so bad and even in aFfC he's becoming more honorable). But Cersei, she's just so fickle and arrogant and paranoid and I could barf. She thinks she's Tywin's son but with breasts (she actually says this or thinks this). In comparison to Jaime: When reading Jaime's pov's I learned more about what drives him and why his done so many bad things. He wanted to be the good guy but some how became the bad one. His character is flawed but he has some good in him . As for Cersei the only redeeming part (maybe) is that she loves her children and wants to protect them. She still mourns her son and is afraid  of losing Tommen. At the same time she wants to be Queen and hates Margaery and plots to have her killed. *really woman get over yourself. Her plan backfires and she ends up lock up aswell just like Margaery. In Jaime's case I came to understand him and now (aFfC) maybe like him a little bit.  Cersei on the other had........

"Whilst you snored, I would lick your sons off my face and fingers one by one, all those pale sticky princes. You claimed your rights, my lord, but in the darkness I would eat your heirs " -pg 693

When I said I could barf, I meant it quite literally. Cersei is disturbed . I think that comes out more in the end. Some time in a cold dark cell might help her. Now I see where Joffrey got it from.

Something I was looking forward too was the Martells. When prince Doran had arrived in Kingslanding in a Storm of Swords , it was impressive. Dorne was the last kingdom to bend down to the Iron Throne,Unbowed,Unbent,Unbroken are their words.They have a lot of history . Doran came for revenge and in a way he did get it. Although wen he died I expected more of a retaliation or a revolt something from Dorn! At first reading about Prince Oberyn and his meekness toward the whole thing. I was disappointed. was this what impressed me so much? Although the sand snakes and Arianne did prove to be like prince Doran. Ariane tried to crown Myrcella but her coup didn't go so well. Her failure on the other hand turned the waves. Prince Oberyn chastises her, he tells her not to mistake his forbearance for patience or meekness. What he does he does in the better good for their hearts desire. what's that you ask? well only vengeance, justice and fire and blood.

Then there's the Greyjoys, Balon's death brings his brothers back Euron 'crows eye comes back from "whoknowswhere" to claim the Seastone Chair. But his other bother Damphair won't have a godless man sit the chair so he goes and calls a Kingsmoot. oh look  at that the thieving pirates have something that resemblance democracy. Notable competitors were Asha and Victarion (another of Balon's brothers) . Euron wins , how? oh you know he has  a horn that can enchant DRAGONS. I mean really we already have a horn that can bring down the wall , Yo Martin you know  that big thing keeping the white walkers out of the realm. Why can't you add magical  blowtorches so the Westorosi people can defend themselves better rather then putting them in horrible places where they're most likely to DIE.

Victarion Greyjoy is an interestingly disturbed character. He often says he has no luck with wives. He's had three. His last wife slept with he's brother Euron which pissed him off immensely. BUT because Vicky didn't want to kill his brother and become a kinslayer he went and killed his wife instead. oh dude you missed the point of compromise..He's still pissed about what happened and I think he feels guilty aswell . He tells himself he had to do it, he often recollects the blood on his hands and her face. He wants revenge so he agrees to do something for his brother. to go and fetch he's brothers lover but he's really going to take her for himself. Oh such brotherly love

One of the castles I love the most is The Eryie. It's brilliant and impregnable. For some odd reasons I like the sky cells , they seem amazing. I'd like to see the view from one, but not long enough for me to get any notions of flying. Sansa has to play the role of Petyr's daughter Alayne. She must be Alayne at all times, even the titles of Sansa's chapters have changed to Alayne to mark this change. I don't like Petyr, he's a sneaky untrustworthy person. Yes, he's smart and could probably sell you anything you don't need but it's hard to trust this guy and now after reading a Feast for Crows I am stumped. Petyr wants Sansa to make Harry Waynwood fall in love with her so they can be married. When he proposes this I'm like * I knew it you bastard littlefinger. Then Petyr explains that Harry Waynwood is a distant descendant of one of Jon Arryn's brothers and when Robert dies Harry would inherit the Vale. No, there's more and when Sansa shows up at her wedding with red hair covered in a maidens cloak emblazoned with the Stark direwolf. The Vale will pledge fealty to her and help get Winterfell back! Petyr Baelish *who are you?! what are you up to?!

Tyrion's absence from this book is felt. Cersei has a bounty on his head and is paranoid Tyrion will come back and try to kill her. Jaime is haunted by Tyrion's words. One of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Jaime," she said, tugging on his ear, "sweetling, I have known you since you were a babe at Joanna's breast. You smile like Gerion and fight like Tyg, and there's some of Kevan in you, else you would not wear that cloak... but Tyrion is Tywin's son, not you. I said so once to your father's face, and he would not speak to me for half a year. Men are such thundering great fools. Even the sort who come along once in thousand years.”

All right you probably want me to shut up now, but the most chivalrous knight I know is Brienne of Tarth, who's currently being hanged but I'm sure she'll think of something.

Although Davos's pov's weren't in this book ,he's name was mentioned a few times. In my aCoK review I said he was dead, and in my aSoS  review it turns out he wasn't dead and now in aFfC he's apparently dead (again) so I'm not going to comment on he's state of existence or non-existence. Let's just say he's MIA

A Feast for Crows, a very fitting name . There are a lot of crows in this book as there are bodies. Lady Stoneheart is adamant on hanging all the Fry's and traitors . She's no longer Catelyn Stark, she knows no mercy. Then again what do you expect from a zombie. Beric Dondarion is dead, he gave he's zombieness to her.

Speaking of the dead, Aemon Targeryn also dies on his way to oldtown. Sam and Gilly honour him by naming Dalla's son Aemon. Aemon Battleborn, Aemon Steelstrong very impressive names. Sandor Clegane is also said to be dead. I kinda liked him.

In this book we leave Arya waking up blind.............grrrr WHY??!

Right I was suppose to stop 4 alinea's ago, my bad. I love this series but I can't say I'm eager to read a Dance with Dragons because it's currently the last book published. Winds of Winter isn't out yet, as far as I know there isn't even a release date, and if I read aDwD now. Then what am I going to do then?! George Martin took six years before he finished aDwD, six years!! May the Seven judge you justly!

A Storm of Swords ( a Song of Ice and Fire, book 3 ) by George R.R Martin

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world...

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...GOODREADS

(While) read(ing) till pages 693- 710    " Devastation"

You should know I specialize in spoilers. As the warning in the header (or whatever you call it) sincerely states. I haven't finished a Storm of Swords yet but I'm putting it aside because of the Red Wedding.  This book is amazing yet horrible and sad , badass and just, just epic! I fear picking it up and reading the rest . I fear what the other books might hold. I am  really not liking George Martin right now but also admire his writing and what he's done and doing with this work. ///Reading hiatus July 24th

Resumed reading : July 28th

Now commence very long review/rant

A Game of Thrones (a Song of Ice and Fire: book 1) by George R.R Martin

"In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones" G

First impressions: when I first came across this book. I thought the title interesting and beautiful. A Game of Thrones, a Song of Ice and Fire saga. Even the titles of the following books, a Clash of Kings, a Storm of Swords,a Feast for Crows. You get what I'm getting at. Pretty words. when I read about what it was about that made it seem a  bit uninteresting. Five families ,seven kingdoms. Didn't think that would be a good read. BUT I WAS WRONG. This book is more than who sits on the Iron Throne. It's about family, brotherhood, loyalty, honor,love, betrayal and there are wolves and dragons!! knights and adventure. It's more than pretty words. I've been blown away by this magnificent work of fantasy . I haven't felt like this since Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

There are a number of people narrating. We jump from one person to another, this is how the story is told. It's mainly told from members of  House Stark,but beside them we have Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryn. This is a good thing because then we get to know what's happening in different locations in the Seven kingdoms and experience it from the (many) protagonist's view point.

Some of my favorite characters:

Eddard Stark: he's the lord of  House Stark. What I liked about him is that he's honorable and knows the difference between right and wrong and will always (try) do the right thing. Sadly that's what he was trying to do and he ended up with his head on pike!

Robert Baratheon: the King of the Seven kingdoms. Although he's a horrid king, you still feel for the man. He was  once a fierce warrior and now he's a fat King sitting on this awfully uncomfortable chair. On numerable occasions in the book Robert tells Eddard how much he hates being a king and wants to run away. He dies aswell. and ruins everything!!

Arya Stark: I love her. She's a tomboy . She wants to be a knight. It's a great dream to have in a medieval world being a girl and all. She's one of the many strong female leads and I love reading her chapters.

Sansa Stark : Arya's sister , What a blind fool. She's 11 and is betrothed to the new King Joffrey Baratheon(what kind of name is that anyways, 'Joffrey"?). At the end she does get some sense and sees Joffrey for what he is. I'm really looking forward to reading more of her chapters in the other books. Her interactions with Sandor are interesting to read to aswell.

Then we have: Jon Snow : bastard son of Eddard Stark. Jon has issues with being a bastard but by the end Jon accepts who he is and has found a place for himself. There's also Sam Tarly: A Black Brother to Jon, Sam's a coward but he finds a strange kind of bravery by the end. Sam grows a lot aswell. Then we have Tyrion Lannister( the imp): you will love this guy, he's a dwarf, but is he really? another character had described him as a giant in disguise(I'm thinking maybe he is). Tryion is cunning, his mind is as sharp as a blade. I like him but I don't know who's side his one.

As you can see the characters are wonderful and (in my opinion) well developed and dynamic. Each one is their own person, has their own struggles to overcome. It's wonderful reading.

The book itself is well written ,easy to understand. The words and phrases are amazing. The different Houses and their words and sigils and histories are fantastic, brilliant and rich. House Stark is by far my favorite (also the main narrators). Their words are Winter is Coming. All the other Houses have their own words. Lannisters: Hear us roar (sigil: lion),  Baratheons: Ours is the fury (sigil: crowned stag),  Targaryns:  Fire and blood (sigil; three headed dragon). As you can see the Starks are different from the other houses. They don't boast of their strengths, their words are one of warning. The Stark sigil is that of a Direwolf. Which are really big wolves(I love wolves). 

"Here and now, you ought to see it when it blooms,all dark red flowers from horizon to horizon,like a sea of blood. Come the dry season,and the world turns the color of bronze . And this is only Hranna,child. There are hundred kinds of grass out there, grasses as yellow as lemon and as dark as indigo, blue grasses and orange grasses and grasses like rainbows. Down the shadow lands beyond Asshai, they say there are oceans of ghost grass,taller than man on horseback with stalks as pale as milkglass, it murders all other grass and glows in the dark with the spirits of the damned. the Dotharaki claim that someday ghost grass will cover the entire world,and then all life will end'<- Grass, he's talking about grass!! and yet I'm hanging on every word!

Although it has a medieval kind of feel to it. There's also scary atmosphere while everybodies fighting to sit on the Irone Throne there's a threat in the north they all ignore.  A threat of dead men who walk (whitewalkers) while more and more Rangers go missing bringing back  the numbers of men guarding the wall. The wall that keeps the walkers out and the realm save. but for how long?

A lot happens in this book. Eddard goes south to serve as the new hand of the kind. He takes his two daughters with him, Arya and Sansa. He should never have gone south! Eddard investigates the murder of he's friend Jon Arryn (former hand of the king) and discovers that the Queens children are not The kings. Then like I said Roberth dies and ruins everything. Now there's war . While Roberth's brothers plot to take the Irone Throne ,Eddard's son Robb is leading his bannermen from the north to avenge his father. Arya is being taken North by a Ranger . While Daenery's is also planning to take the Irone Throne from across the narrow sea with dragons.

There are more characters involved than just those who narrate. It's not easy telling who's good or who's bad. It seems everybody has their own agenda. Only Varys(one of the kings Councillors) seems to have a seemingly good agenda.  He serves no one but the realm and everything he does is to keep the peace in the realm (so he claims) . The people don't really care who sits on the Irone Throne as long as they're left alone, to grow old, work and watch their children grow. There's also a really simple thing to this book.

Robb's 14 and is leading an army to avenge his father. 14! in his chapters or his mother's we forget he's 14 but then the author reminds us. We're always reminded . Even in Daenerys chapters who's also very young, 13 when she's wed(sold)   to Drogo by her brother to gain an army. Arya who's 9,Sansa who's 11 (who's to wed Joffrey). Jon Snow also 14, Joffrey 12. All children.

I am desperately looking forward to reading a Clash of Kings. A Game of Thrones leaves me wanting more and with questions. Who's Jon's mother? Why was Jon Arryn going to send his son to Dragonstone? who really sent  the assassin for Bran?Is Benjen Stark alive?  I need  more of Westeros.

The author:

<- The true King of Westeros. Now if only he would stop killing my favorite characters and leave the people BE!!!!

Author George R.R Martin was asked if he had a resolution or ending to the seemingly endless conflict. He replied that the end would be a cloud of dust or snow being driven by the wind across a vast graveyard full of tombstones.

Me:Why can't we just follow the butterflies?

I've only ever read Lord of the Rings to which I can compare this to. So if you're a fan of LTR then try this book. It's Amazing! I'm telling you you have to read it. You must. It's "phantastic"

Grade:

Oustanding

Winter is coming

*Sorry if this is more a rant than a review.I had to get it out

Angelfall by Susan Ee

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. 

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel. 

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl. 

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

I've read so many good reviews about this book.  Reviews about how awesome,funny and surprising this book is and I got to say they hold up to what they say.

The first thing that got my attention was the cover. I love the cover. The colours and the wings and after reading the book How Raffe loses his wings The cover makes more sense now. It's a pretty and meaningful cover.

The story is told from Penryn's POV completely. Her thoughts and observations and feelings. Penryn's a great female lead. The kind I: like a strong , smart female figure. She gets the angels Raffe to help her try to save her sister Paige who gets taken by some angel. On their journey to the angels compound they get chased by dogs and cannibalistic "demons" . There's also a lot of death in this book. It's  a post apocalyptic world with some very detailed scenes of carnage, destruction and death. Scenes where a family: mother, father and child  lay dead on a street half eaten. Of two young girls hung from a tree. of people  starving. 

Aside from these morose aspects of the book the banter between the two main characters is awesome and more light hearted(at times). Raffe is a smartass and handsome to boot. You're going to love this guy. Penryn and Raffe slowly fall for each other.  Some emotional, touching scenes. -When penryn has a nightmare Raffe takes her into his warm arms and comforts her penryn thinks she dreamt this  -when penryn has to leave the wheelchair behind Raffe tricks her into feeling better. You are totally going to love this dude. Then there's when they get into the angel compound and Raffe kisses her, penryn" It is not the gentle kiss of a couple on a first date, nor is it the kiss of a man driven by simple lust. He kisses me with the desperation of a dying man who believes the magic of eternal life is in this kiss.”  You must be sold already on this book!!

Then after the kiss he tells her that he doesn't even like her.  At this point I'm like "really"?

Then  there's also Penryn's schizo mother. This woman you will like ,fear and downright want to avoid  at all cause (if she were real that is). Especially if she has a probing rod. 

Penryn finds her sister but she's been altered ,she's been made into one of these cannibal demons Penryn and Raffe had to fight off in the woods. 

Raffe's wings get switched with bat-like wings. This was done so that Raffe would look like a traitor and his men would choose to follow  Uriel . This has to do with angel politics.  While this happens Raffe's wings and penryn's sister: there's a resistance happening outside. The humans blow the angels compound up .This they do for hope. For humanity. To show the angels and the people that they will fight.

I loved this book. It's a fantastic, ridiculous ,funny , sad and surprising book . The only thing I didn't like is the ending.  Penryn gets paralysed by some scorpion/angel thing .Raffe then takes her body(because he thinks she's dead) to the resistance. Penryn slowly overcomes the paralysis of the scorpions poison and notices Raffe following them. I know there's going to  be a second but I wanted MORE!!

Grade: O

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Few stories are as widely read and as universally cherished by children and adults alike as The Little Prince. Richard Howard's new translation of the beloved classic-published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Antoine de Saint-Exupry's original artwork. 

I read this last year. Time hasn't changed how good. How brilliant this book is.  How sweet, funny and magical this book is.

It's called "The Little Prince" because it's about a little prince (from another planet).  He leaves his planet, leaves his Rose behind all alone. He goes and visits the other planets near his and Earth.

Th writing is really easy even the grown ups (those strange creatures) can understand and enjoy this book. If not then what a pity that is.

I think the little prince is very wise. I like him a lot. Although this book is funny and you grow to like the little prince. It's also sad. I wish I had a rose of my own.

My favorite part in this book is when the prince meets the Fox and asks the Fox what "tamed" means. To which the Fox answers:

"It's something that's been to often neglected. It means to create ties"

Then the Fox asks the prince to tame him. The prince reluctantly does this. Eventually time goes by and the prince has to leave the Fox. The Fox is sad and cries but gives the prince his secret as a gift.

The fox's secret:

" One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes"

What a very wise fox. I wish I had a Fox as a friend. I'm afraid to tame anything,especially a person.

Speculation: The author, Antoine. The guy was a pilot and he crashed his plane more then once. Maybe he did meet the prince in the dessert! maybe it was a mirage! or maybe the guy had a very active and wild, no! fascinating and beautiful  imagination.

This book remains one of the greats. It's dedicated to Leon Werth ( When He Was A Little Boy). We should all try to remember that little boy/girl inside us.  At one point in our life's did we not recognize The Hat for what it truly is . A boa constrictor eating an elephant!!

Grade:   O

Review; I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

Meet Ed Kennedy — underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That’s when the first Ace arrives. That’s when Ed becomes the messenger. . . . 

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary), until only one question remains: Who’s behind Ed’s mission?

After having read The Book Thief , it's safe to say that Markus Zusak is on my list of awesome writers. That being said I had to check out some of his other works . I Am The Messenger is different from The Book Thief but it's just as brilliant. It's great, it's amusing, it makes you feel . It makes you care.

A lot of bad things happen in the world, your city, your town, your street. What can I possibly do to stop it? change it? It's a hopeless case. I'm too small and insignificant to really do anything. To really change anything? so why care. I've always thought this. I think we've all felt like this, but we still care . We still try. 

"If a guy like you can stand up and do what you did, then maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of."

Ace of Diamond

Ed Kennedy is the epitome of ordinary. The story starts with him, a cabdriver, and how he saves the day when he catches a bankrobber. That's where it all begins. After the robbery Ed gets the ace of diamonds in his mail with 3 addresses on it. He goes to these addresses. One belongs to an old woman who's lonely, one to a girl who runs barefoot, and the third belongs to a guy who comes home drunk everyday and rapes his wife. The drunk was the first address Ed went to. He's shocked and scared but what can he possibly do? He's a coward and he knows it. Because he can't save the woman, he can't save the daughter who hears what's happening in the other room. He can't do shit. So he goes to the other addresses. He finds a way to help those people. The people who sent him the card later send him a gun too. Ed uses it on the drunk. He's scared, he doesn't want to hurt anybody, not even the drunk who rapes his wife each night. In the end it all works out. Ed helps these people.

Ace of Cloves

"Say a prayer at the stones of home"

Ed gets another card. Ace of cloves. This time there are no addresses just a sentence"say a prayer at the stones of time". Ed's a cab driver so when a guy tries to run off without paying the fair, he goes after him. He ends up at the river near his home where he and his brother use to fish. He finds a stone with the next 3 people on it. A priest, whose church nobody visits. The rose brothers who always fight. A young mother with 3 kids.  Ed helps these people with free beer, by getting beat up and by simply buying someone an ice cream.

Ace of Spades

I like this part because I recognized one of the names on the card. Graham Greene. This card had 3 names on it of writers. After having a dream Ed figures it out too. This time he has to help a family with lights, a theater owner and his mom. Ed's mom sure is a character. She curses like it's a hobby and treats Ed badly. Ed confronts her. She thinks Ed's just like his father and useless. I felt for Ed."It takes a lot of love to hate you like this" his mom says.

Ace of Hearts

Ed was afraid of the ace of hearts the most. Although it's the last card and means it's almost the end.

"People die of broken hearts .They have heart attacks.And it's the heart that hurts the most when things go wrong and fall apart"

Ed was right to fear the ace of hearts. On this card there are 3 movie titles on it. It turns out to be 3 people who are important to him. His best friends. Ritchie, the laziest, Marv the smart ass and Audrey who doesn't want to love and who Ed's in love with.

I can relate to Ritchie. Ritchie is always the laid back one of the group. At first Ed didn't know or couldn't imagine what problem Ritchie could possibly have. Ritchie wants to want. He doesn't have ambition. He doesn't know what to do with his life. He sits in his kitchen each night listening to the radio. Ed helps him aswell. Simply by telling him what a useless bastard he is.

Then there's Marv. The cheapskate ,smart ass Marv with the crappiest car ever. Marv has been saving up money for years . He has almost 40k in the bank. In the end it turns out Marv loved a girl with all his heart. The girl's family moved when she got pregnant . Marv didn't know his girl was pregnant till it was too late. Everyday he makes it through but in the end he breaks down. and he can hear his heart crying. Hurting. For the little girl/boy out there. 

Then there's Audrey. He just dances with her. So simple? but it was more than that. Ed loves the girl. She loves Ed, but wants somebody else. Why is love so complicated. He just dances with her. 3 minutes . Just for 3 minutes they love each other.

You'd think that was the end but no Ed gets another card . The joker. The address on the card is his. Ed spends weeks worrying  about what's gonna happen. Who's coming. Who sent the cards? It was a shocker. Throughout the book I was wondering the same thing. and I went for the obvious people. Audry, his ma, in the end I even thought it was his dad. The shocking thing is when it turns out to be  the robber.

At the end of a good book when things are clearing up. It's the best and saddest part. Best because now you get to know who's behind everything , sad because the book's ending. The person behind everything. I think is Markus Zusak in the book. I think he wrote himself in. At first I thought it was the big guy. I loved the ending chapters. I'm telling you this is a great book. Ed Kennedy wasn't the messenger. He is the message. We can't just live for the sake of living. We have to live, feel, want. Be alive.

Ed's a very kind and caring guy. He's also a ordinary guy. If he can do what he did then anybody can.

Grade : O