Book: Lives of the Monster Dogs

The premise of this book was irresistible to me. A woman befriends a group of intelligent, speaking dogs who arrived in NYC after escaping from their mad scientists creators.

I have often wished my dogs could talk to me. They are my best friends. So this book was a healthy dose of lifelong wish plus a little Frankenstein monster thrown in for plot.

The story was rather good. My only complaint was the abruptness of the ending. ( Spoilers )

It was a completely unsatisfying ending. But aside from that, it was an enjoyable book.

Book: The Prophet of Yonwood

This is the third book in the Ember series. It's a prequel set a couple decades before the terrible disasters that destroy the world, when the city of Ember was still being built.

I didn't find this one nearly as good as the previous two books, but I still found it interesting. I'm not sure this makes sense, but it felt a lot like the story itself didn't matter, but many of the events that happened during it will likely be very important. I felt like I need to pay very close attention in case a moment here or there would come in handy later. Does that make sense at all?

The story itself takes place basically today. Everyone is tense about terrorists. The country is constantly on the edge of war with terrorist nations. And religious nuts are popping up, offering the safety of god if only everyone would give up their freedoms and be good little sheep that do what the fundies say. The story really could happen today in any small town in the country. Which scares me a little. I guess that's what makes it an interesting story.

I have already started the book that follows and am keeping my eyes open for events from this book that will affect the future in the next book. So we'll see if my theory holds. (Yes, I did read Yonwood in one day.)