Don't judge a book by the cover!
927881
This is not a wishy wash romance by any stretch. This is a book about life, point blank. I have owned it for years and will continue to own it for as long as I am alive.
2528416
"Don't judge a book by its cover" (or its title)! I almost didn't read this book because it looked like a nice fluffy middle grade novel but this is FANTASTIC!! What a wonderful surprise! I cared so much about these characters, got pulled so deeply into the twisting plot, and drooled so heavily at the delicious recipes that I cannot believe this is a debut novel! Kat Yeh is not afraid to share deep issues with her readers and encourage them to challenge perceptions of what it means to be lucky. I felt lucky to find this gem!
3962707
I honestly don't understand where these low ratings come from? Sometimes I suspect that its because of the cover..:)
Don't judge a book by its cover! This book is amazing! All the fun facts, simple language - its a great read! And things you learn are just fascinating!
If you're ever curious about human body and what its capable of, then this book is for you! If you're not curious at all, you should still read the book, you'll be surprised! I highly recommend this book and think it will benefit anyone who reads it.
I hope this review was useful and helped people make a choice.
1818630
First off - let me just say that I did not expect this book to be as good as it was.  It was one of the free reads - so, goodie...a free read - I love them.  The "cover" made me think, along with the title that it would be solely a book about control - it was and it wasn't.  The sex scenes in the book were surprisingly complex and for the most part defined the characters and as you are reading - and discovering who these people are - the reader, in this case -me - was swept along.

When I started reading the book, I imagined that  the book would be formulaic and mundane and it really was not.  I became Kyrie - the heroine of the story and I was learning as she was learning about what was happening in her life. Jasinda Wilder has a phenomenal way of making that happen.  I did not see the end coming, although I hoped it would and it was suspenseful to the end - the secret held by the male protagonist was stunning and not something I could see coming either that totally turns Kyrie's world upside down again.  It is so worth reading.  I enjoyed it enormously - I didn't want to put it down at all.
4003904
This book pleasantly surprised me. The intriguing cover caught my attention, seeing one of the names on the cover glowing and two marked out in what I'm guessing is blood.  In the past, I've downloaded books that had a great cover, but a lousy story and books with an unattractive cover, but a really beautiful story inside.

I wasn't expecting a lot from this book, after all, it isn't expensive and currently doesn't have a hardcover or even a paperback version in print.  Again, I didn't think I was going to get much out of this book, but when I finished chapter 3 and met Faith and her mother, I was hooked and stayed hooked until the very end. I cannot recommend this book enough, Ive downloaded e-books that cost $9.99 and up, and wasn't half as enjoyable as this book.  I am telling all my friends and family that if they looking for something good to read during this cold winter, there is no other book hotter right now than "The Quest for the List of the Gifted.
4157920
Don't judge the book by it's cover! I thought the books was awesome and informative
4538309
Don't judge this book by the cover - it's not another trashy and forgetful story about Thailand's bargirl scene. This is a startling and powerful novel. The surprising and innovative idealistic vision of the complex central character will move you.
3432883
This story was quite a surprise. It's not at all what I expected from the cover. It takes place in the fourteenth century, and tells an interesting tale. I like that it's bilingual so children can learn to read it in two languages. I wish the cover would better reflect the good story within; this one makes it look like it will be a simple barnyard tale for younger children. Don't let that stop you from reading it!
3478936
This book is very original! It was not what I expected it to be, but I enjoyed it from cover to cover regardless. I hope to read more from this author in the future!
433907
The cover initially drew me into this book! As soon as the author asked if I would review it for her I fell in love with the cover! The plot of this book was different! It was about sorcerers which I found interesting! The plot was fast paced and it helped my attention the whole way through! The characters were great as well! Olivia "Livvie" Whitehead and Scott Tabors were the main characters and I liked them both but I personally thought that Livvie took the information that Scott was a sorcerer a little too easily! I would have been asking lots of questions and not really have believed him to start with! Scott was cute! He was also so determined to protect Livvie! We didn't really get to see Scott and Livvie as a couple I also loved that this book was told from both Livvie and Scott's point of views as there was so much going on in the story! I hated Aiden! He made me so mad! Especially what he did at the end! I am really looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book in this series after what happened in this one and as I said the cover is beautiful! Big thank you to Felicia for a copy of The White Aura!
583831
I'm sure you've heard that "you can't judge a book by its cover". The saying is true for this book, but in a little different way. You can't judge this book by its cover because the cover lies!

I picked this book based on the cover and the Amazon blurb. I have a compact camera (canon sd770) similar in features to the camera on the cover, and I want to take better pictures.

The first line of the Amazon product description is: "Top photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Rick Sammon shares his best tips and tricks for getting high-quality images with your point-and-shoot camera". Since this exact line is on product pages everywhere, I think this line came from the publisher.

But then on page 2 of the book, the author distinguishes between point-and-shoot cameras and compact cameras. He says that he is "not talking about point-and-shoot cameras [in the book]". He then states that "full-featured compacts have all of the controls of a digital SLR: full choice of exposure modes, both auto and manual; auto and manual focus; full control of ISO; and a complete choice of white balance."

Well thanks for using the wrong term in your product description! Thanks not defining the word "compact" on your cover when you define it narrowly. And finally, thanks for putting a point-and-shoot camera on the cover when the book isn't for point-and-shoot cameras! How can I not feel deceived after reading two pages?

In the author's defense, he is very clear in the first two pages of the book. I would guess that the publisher made up the cover and the description. I'm sure that the market for a full-featured compact camera book to be much smaller than the market for those with point-and-shoot cameras. So by being deceptive, the publisher sells more books.

The book has other problems too. The author doesn't stick with an audience. Is he defending his use of a compact camera to pros? Is he giving pointers to beginners? Is he taking a photographer to the next stage? Is he helping someone get better pictures with their camera, or is he suggesting the camera you need to get better pictures? Maybe he's throwing everything and the kitchen sink haphazardly into the book--that's how it seems! Since the book's subtitle is: "Get Professional Quality Photos with your Compact Camera", I wish the author had stuck with that audience and theme.

I've had a hard time rating this book. I did learn some good photography basics from this book. I know my vision is tinted by my first impressions. Finally, I asked myself if I would buy other books by this author, and my answer is definitely no.
2723139
I absolutely LOVED this book! I know we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but first I'd like to say this is just a flat out pretty cover! I really loved the story line. It wasn't an obvious from the get go plot, and I appreciated that a lot. The characters all have a history with one another, and as you delve deeper into the book you realize exactly how strongly those ties are....and some are VERY unexpected! I will say I was left more than a bit shocked at a couple points in the book! The characters are well developed, and the tension between Kevin and Mallory is just enough to keep you reading, but not so much that it drowns the story or makes you feel uncomfortable. All in all, I REALLY loved this book a LOT! I simply couldn't put it down. LOVED IT!!!!!!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own.
1794442
Wow!  This is a perfect example of not judging a book by it's cover.  Honestly, I've put off reviewing this one as long as possible because the book just looks so boring!  Of course, the back doesn't sound boring, but when faced with a plain blue book that simply has a bridge and a cloud on the front, it just doesn't seem that appealing.  After reading, I realize the symbolism in the front cover, but honestly the book packaging itself is a turn off.  I'm really glad that I forced myself to see past that, as well as the lack of editing, and devour the story inside.

The characters are extremely unlikable.  They're not sweet and endearing.  They evoke a strong emotional response in the negative.  Personally,I didn't like any of them and was reminded of a book I'd read once before where I just couldn't get through the book because I couldn't stand the characters.  In this instance, however, I had the pull of the sweet 'other world' to keep me entrenched in the story instead of letting my hatred and rage at the 'live' characters push me away.

The story is staged pretty well.  I had an issue with the ending, but I can't really go into that without adding spoilers to my review.  I can say that though I wasn't a fan of the ending, I do appreciate the fact that Sager was able to pull it off to the point that I was just a little disappointed instead of being angry and frustrated.

Over all, this was a good read that I just couldn't put down.  It's definitely not for the faint of heart, as some of it is quite graphic and the actions of some of the characters is a bit depressing and over the top.  It's a fast-paced read that keeps you engrossed throughout.  It also has a moral message throughout the book, which is always a plus.  It's nice to have an entertaining story that leaves you with a feeling that you've had a new insight.
1592189
Isnt the cover beautiful! 

Now, I know there have been a lot of mixed reviews about this book, but I went into it with an open mind and not expecting much from the book. I also didn't let the few reviews I did see about this book influence my thoughts on it. Im so glad that I did because I was pleasantly surprised by it.

Their are two main perspectives that the book is told from. Natasha and Daniel. I was really interested and drawn to these two characters because they weren't your average teenagers. They both had some much bigger issues they were facing in their daily lives, which I really like and appreciated. I liked that they had some depth to them instead of worry about what the normal teenagers wouldve been worried about. I know this is in large part due to their ethnicity, but I feel like even readers that aren't the same ethnicity as the main characters (Jamaican and Korean) can relate to them in one way or another.

These two characters meet by chance and do not know each other previous to this day. The book takes place over the course of 1 day, which is kind of crazy to think about all these teens went through in such a short period of time. Coincidentally, I always read the book over the course of one day because I just couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed the conversations that Natasha and Daniel had because they were interesting in many different ways. The content of the conversations went much deeper than would be expected of two strangers who had just met. Natasha and Daniel were also very very opposite in their beliefs about different things.

There was a lot of criticism about the insta-love between the two main characters, but I didn't really get the feeling that thats what was going on in the story. Yes they do spend the day together and Daniels main goal was to make Natasha fall in love with him, but Natasha was cynical and didn't believe in love. So Natasha is kind of the opposite of insta-love in my opinion. She actually spent the whole day fighting it. I thoroughly enjoyed Natashas pessimistic view of love and marriage and I kind of wish I was as cynical about romance as she is! Just because she fights it, doesnt mean thats what happens in the end.

I LOVED that we got little snippets of the minor characters perspectives that Natasha and Daniel ran into throughout the day. That was probably one of my favorite things about this book along with the Universe Chapters.

This book also had a lot of little life lessons embedded in the story. For example, Natasha and the security lady she met. Natasha actually saved this ladys life and Natasha didn't even know it. I was super glad that the security lady got to thank Natasha in the end. The lesson from this is to be nice to people because you never know what battles they are fighting and the demons that are raging within them.

The ending is also something to be thankful for. It made the book that much more realistic for me. There was no happy ending nor was there a tragic ending. The ending was much like life itself, things happen and you move on.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others!
3975257
Okay, when I was asked if I'd be interested in reading The Exemeus for review, I really had to read the synopsis and think about it. The cover is definitely not my cup of tea.

However, this is a supreme case of "Do not judge a book by its cover." SERIOUSLY!!!

After the first chapter, I was so interested in this story. The Exemeus is a story about Dephon finding out who and what he and his parents are. In a world of solitary, evil rule, Dephon has been given a book to read about the history of Earth and what exactly had happened to get it to the government-ruled Treptonian. This book, The Exemeus, is about Hyalee.

The story mainly focuses on Hyalee and Singleton and what Trepton was when it was Earth. It is her story of finding out about the powers in which she, Singleton, and others have and finding out they are meant to save the Earth.

I was so involved while reading The Exemeus. Folami and Abeni have created such a world that is easy to imagine and not feel lost. I am very anxious and excited to read the next book!

The Exemeus is a solid LOVE for me!

PS...I LOVED Kayin!
3289249
I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE ANYTHING AWAY THAT WILL SPOIL THE BOOK, THE COVER IS WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE FIRST.  I THEN READ THE SHORT DESCRIPTION AND WAS VERY INTERESTED. IT'S NOT AN OVER THE TOP FULL OF TABOO SEX BETWEEN AN OLDER MAN AND YOUNGER GIRL  IT HAS BEAUTIFUL CHARACTERS AND A GREAT STORY LINE .THE STORY UNFOLDS OVER THE COURSE OF THE BOOK. TRUST BE YOU'LL BE HOOKED FROM THE START.
MUST,MUST READ  YOU WON'T BE SORRY!!
CindyCarr1@live.com
3126399
The following are some of the reasons I gave this book 4 stars. It probably deserves less but it was a really good book despite all of its flaws. I think that Wendy Markham is a great author and knows what she's doing.
Obviously the cover art is very misleading about the nature of the book. This is a "heavy" read in which I shed some tears! So be prepared!
Nina is kind of a pain in the ass. What woman would HONESTLY think about having sex with her best friend just so he can have a baby and then walk about from them both? I would maybe think of caring the child of a friend who's married but not for some single guy whose biological clock is ticking! One word: adoption!
It is pointed out (several times) that Nina gave up her life to raise her siblings. It is also pointed out that the siblings have no clue exactly what Nina had to give up. OK...then why was it never brought out? I would have enjoyed it if maybe Joe had stood up for Nina to Nina's family during Thanksgiving while she was pregnant since she does EVERYTHING at their house and the pizza place!
I just find it funny that the reason Nina didn't want to be tied down with kids was because she had already raised her siblings. Lets review shall we....
Dom - an ass with no respect and responsibility! While I was reading I kept rolling my eyes every time Dom never showed up to work at the pizza place! If that was my brother trust me I wouldn't be treated like that.
The Sister - a spoiled brat that only thinks of herself! All she would ever talk about was her wedding! She was so rude to Nina and Nina just took like it was her due! (I can't remember her name.)
The Other Brother - in Germany the whole time
The Younger Brother - gets a girl pregnant in high school and then has his older sister adopt the baby to raise as her own!
No wonder...I wouldn't want to raise another kid either if I'd done such a bad job!
BUT, thankfully the story isn't about the siblings it's about Nina and Joe and their struggle to be together. This is one of the few books I ever read that actually made my heart hurt. I'm sure everyone knows what I mean. You feel the characters emotions. And then at the end you just know that the story is complete and as they say...they lived happily ever after!!