The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

Title:  The Cater Street Hangman

Publisher:  Ballantine Books

Publication Date:  2008

Pages:  287

ISBN: 9780345513564

Source: Purchased

This is the first book in Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. I tend to be drawn to British writers and I love the 1800's, so this book was satisfying in many ways.  I loved the characters in this book, especially Grandmama.  Well, actually, my feelings for her were of the love/hate kind.  She was funny and aggravating at the same time, and she certainly added spice to the story.  I thought I had the mystery figured out early on, but I was wrong!  So, this one kept me guessing throughout the story.  I love a good mystery that keeps me guessing!  There are several surprises in this book.  Most of the stories about the mid 1800's keep sex out of the story, but this one takes a good look at sex and the differences of expectations between men and women during this era.  You also of course get to know Charlotte and Thomas from their beginnings in this book.  I plan to read the others in this series because I enjoyed this one ever so much!

"Couldn't he?  Charlotte looked at him, then surrepettiously at Dominic.  How much of people really showed in their faces?  Did any of them guess the wildness of feeling in her?" page 104

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The Keeper by Natalie Star

Title:  The Keeper

Author:  Natalie Star

Publisher:  Decadent Publishing Company

Publication Date:  2011

Pages:  230

ISBN:  9781613330005

Source:  Author

The Keeper was a most enjoyable read!  From the first page to the last, I was held captive by this story.  The characters are very believable and you cannot help but get caught up in their lives.  Especially the life of Billie, the girl that hope for the entire world rests upon. It is also an emotional story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.  And, you might even shed a few tears. I did! The story is full of fantasy, mystery, intrigue, and even romance, so it offers something for everyone, not just YA readers.  The fact is that I rarely read this genre, but I am so glad that I did this time, because this was one of those books that I did not want to put down . If you are looking for a new book to read that is different from anything else on the market right now, then you should read this book.  There are no vampires or witches in this story which seems to be what everyone else is writing about these days. 

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The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Title:  The Peach Keeper

Author:  Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher:  Bantam Books

Publication Date:  2011

Pages:273

Source:  Purchased

This is another great book by Sarah Addison Allen!  It is filled with intrigue, mystery, romance, magic and southern charm.  I love the way the writing has the power to wrap you up in the character's lives and make you feel like you are part of the story.  I believe this is a story that almost everyone will be able to connect to their own life.  It is set in a small southern town and about the love and friendhips of several people that grew up together and then grew apart as they became adults.  Two old ladies that are in a nursing home helps to bring them all back together.  The getting back together and discovering what they want out of life is what makes the story come alive. Like Sarah Allen's other books theis story is also full of southern lore which is always fun.  Did you know that a pink sky is a sign of someone discovering love? Or that when you hear a bell ring you should hold your hands to scoop up the good fortune?  Well, according to southern lore that is exactly what you should do!

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The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb

Title:  The Face Thief

Author:  Eli Gottlieb

Publisher:  Harper Collins

Publication Date:  2012

Pages:  248

ISBN:  978-0-06-173505-9

Source:  Book Browse

The way the people's lives in this book intertwine is fascinating.  At first I found myself wandering what one person had to do with another, but I kept reading and soon found out how they were all connected.  They were all linked together by one woman.  This womans name was Margot and she was hell bent on destroying every man that she came in contact with.  She is definitely an interesting character and she is not a nice person.  She is about as self centered as anyone can be, but it goes much deeper than just Narcissisim.  She is also dangerous.  It may be that she has finally crossed the wrong person because she has had a bad accident or was it really an accident?

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The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

Title:  The Mischief of the Mistletoe

Sub Title:  A Pink Carnation Christmas

Publisher:  Penguin Group

Publication Date:  2010

Pages:  339

Source:  Purchased from Amazon

ISBN: 978052595872

 This was a wonderful book to read for Christmas!  It has so many things that I love!  It has romance, mystery, intrigue, suspense, and humor and it is all wrapped around a Christmas Pudding!  Yes, I said a Christmas Pudding.  It is a wonderful mystery that is written in the style of Jane Austen, and the mystery begins with a message found in a Christmas Pudding!  This is the first book in the Pink Carnation series that I have read, and it was wonderful.  The book  does not have to be read in any particular order, as I was able to know what was going on without having read any of the other books.  I loved the characters in this book, and even Jane Austen herself makes a few appearances. But, my favorite character is Turnip Fitzhugh.  He is handsome, smart, athletic and just seems like a perfect hero.  I will definitely be reading more of Lauren Willig's books!  I am a big Jane Austen fan and of course I have read all of her books, so I am always looking for books that are written in the same fashion as hers.  Sometimes I am disappointed, but not with Lauren Willig's stories.  In the book Jane Austen Made Me Do It,  Willig's  story was one of my most favorites and after reading this one, I suspect that she will be permanently in my favorite authors list.  I look forward to reading her other books. 

Here is a little sample of the humor that is found in this book.  "As he  clasped her right hand with his left, prancing in a circle with Danforth and Lucy Ponsonby, she smiled up at him and unselfconsciously gave a little puff of breaath to blow a stubborn lock of hair out of her eye. 

It was the most uncously seductive thing he had ever seen.  Turnip nearly lost his footing.

Of course at this point, she could  debone a kipper with a fish knife and he would find it seductive, he was that far gone."

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Flame of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

Title:  Flame of Surrender

Author:  Rhiannon Paille

Publisher:  Coscom Entertainment

Publication Date:  2011

Pages:  280

Source:  Received from the author

ISBN:   978-1927339022

This book is a beautiful love story even though it does not seem possible for the couple to be together..  It is the story of Kaliel and Krishani, two people that you will soon love.  The story is beautifully written and even though it is a book of fantasy, you will find much in the story that relates to your own life. The world created in this story is as beautiful as nature itself. I love the way flora and fauna are a major part of this story.  Sometimes fantasy can be confusing and the writer can get bogged down in the details and this can make it  hard to keep up with. But, that is not the case with this story.  It is easy to read because it is written so well. The story seems to flow from Rhiannon as if she just had to get it out! I am finding it difficult to talk about this story without giving too much of it away, so take my word for it and read it!  You will be glad that you did. This story is full of magic, danger, suspense, and romance.  I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

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Dangerous Lies by Lisa April Smith

Title:  Dangerous Lies

Author:  Lisa Smith

Publisher:  Wingate Publishing

Publication Date:  2001

Pages:  254

Source:  Received from Lisa Smith

ISBN:  978-0970598301

This book is wonderful and it will keep you glued to every page.  The heroine is Bettina Berenson, but,  Bettina is not just an ordinary woman.  Bettina is not only drop dead gorgeous, but gutsy and intelligent.  Even though she is smart,  she still  manages to get involved with some dangerous characters, and every time it seems that her life is finally on the right track, she gets thrown a curve ball that takes her down a different path. She eventually gets herself involved with some mafia types and has to testify against them which puts her life in danger. The characters in this story are very well developed and the story is written so well that you cannot help but get drawn into the action.  This is the type of story that you can't stop thinking about when your not reading. When your not reading it, all you want to do is stop what your doing and get right back to the story.  After the first few chapters, you can't seem to turn the pages fast enough to find out what is going to happen next.  I just can't stress enough that the depth of the characters is so profound that you cannot help but get caught up in the action.

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A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry

Title:  A Christmas Journey

Author:  Anne Perry

Publisher:  Headline Paperbacks

Publication Date:  2004

Pages:  160

ISBN:  978-0755321155 

Source:  Purchased 

This is the first Anne Perry Book that I have read, however, it will not be the last.  I loved the imagery, the victorian era, the story line and the fact that it was a short read!  Lady Vespasia(what a name!)is attending a dinner with many other wealthy folks and one lady insults another lady in front of everyone.  The insulted lady is then found drowned, an apparent suicide.  It is assumed it is because of the insult.  Lady Vespasia and the insulter are sent on a trip of atonement to the see the dead girls mother byt the Host of the party.  The journey is long and hard and they meet with several tribulations along the way.  The setting is in the freeing cold and it is nearing christmas.  So, the snow and ice are sure to set you to thinking about Christmas!
"If Isobel is indeed guilty of anything,or if Bertie is, then all of us agreeing upon a form of expiation would absolve them of guilt, after which we would make a solemn covenant that the matter would be considered closed."  A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry

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Merry Christmas Mr. Baxter by Edward Streeter

Title:  Merry Christmas Mr. Baxter
Author:  Edward Streeter
Publisher:  Harper & Brothers
Publication Date:  1956
Pages:  181
Source:  Purchased Used

This book was like taking a walk back in time.  It was written in 1956.  I grew up in the 60's, so, much of it was famialiar to me.  I am a big fan of old black and white movies and my favorite all time movie is "It's a Wonderful Life."  Edward Streeter wrote that too!  Maybe that is another reason I loved this book. It is a quick read that will put you in the Christmas Spirit.  The story is that of Mr. Baxter and his Christmas dilemma of wanting to cut down on expenses and not get as worked up over the holiday season as usual. The story takes you through his daily life from October through Christmas.  Mr. Baxter lives in New York City and his story takes you on a nostalgic trip of Christmas in New York.  It is a pleasure to relive such wonderful days!  Even though things were so different then, in many ways they are still so much the same!



"Nothing irritated Mr. Baxter more than people who dawdled over their food.  New Yorkers were supposed to bolt their meals, but this crowd reminded him of a herd of Guernseys in a May Meadow."
Merry Christmas Mr. Baxter, Page 70

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Jane Austen Made Me Do It Edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

Title:  Jane Austin Made Me Do It

Publisher:  Ballentine Books

Publication Date:  2011

Pages:  432

Source:  Ballentine Books

ISBN:  9780345524966

This wonderful book is full of stories written in Jane Austen fashion.  Each writer was asked to pair a story with their favorite Jane Austen Quote.  It is editied by my friend Laurel Ann Nattress over at Austenprose.com. Laurel Ann also wrote the introduction which is great all by itself!  This book is for all Jane Lovers! I found that as I was reading the stories, I would forget that I was not reading Jane Austen.  The stories are that good!  There are 22 original stories and each one is as good as the first.  If my saying over and over  how wonderful this book is doesn't make you want to read it, then look at some of the authors names, because  that should change your mind and give you reason to read it!  Here is a list of the wonderful authors in this book: Syrie James, Jane Odwie, Lauren Wilig, Stephanie Barron, F.J.Meir, Monica Fairview, Adriana Trigiani, Jo Beverly, Beth Patillo, Margaret Sullivan, Elizabeth Aston, Amanda Grange, Janet Mullany, Maya Slater, Myretta Robens, Diana Birchell, Alexandra Potter, Jane Rubiano and Caitlen Rubiano-Bradway, Pamela Aiden, Brenna Aubrey, Carrie Bebris, and Laurie Vierra Rigler.
Now that is an impressive list!  I cannot pick a personal favorite, but I will say that I loved how some of the stories incorporate Jane Austen in the stories and the way she interacts with her own story characters.  If you are a Jane Austen fan, you really need to read this book!  And who knows, it may even inspire you to write your own Jane Austen story!

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The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Title:  The Alienist
Author:  Caleb Carr
Publisher:  Bantam Books
Date:  1994
Pages:  597
Source:  Purchased
ISBN: 0533572997

The Alienist takes you into the dark, sleezy life of New York City during the late 1800's.  This dark world was kept secret in the 1800's and you rarely hear about it today.  But, there is no doubt that it existed and that life was scary and difficult for the people that lived in this dark world.  In The Alienist, there is a serial killer wandering through this dark world and he is targeting young boys.  But, not just any boys, he is focused on boys that are selling their bodies to survive.  The government and the police are ignoring the killings.  They do not want the public to know this part of NYC even exists, so they just sit back and hope that it will go away.
But, not everyone is content to just sit back and ignore these killings.  After all the victims are children. No matter what type of life they are living, they deserve protection from this evil killer. There is an Alienist in the city that wants the killer stopped.  His name is Kreizler and he is what today is known as a Psychologist.  Kreizler forms a group  of friends to try and stop this killer.  The group initially consists of Moore who is a New York Times Reporter and Sarah who is a Secretary at the Police Department.  The little group eventually expands to include Kreizlers servants and a couple of ex Police Officers. This group will take you into the belly of this dark world and it is sometimes very graphic because when this killer kills a victim, it is very gruesome and even worse because his victims are children.
Kriezler feels sure that the killer is not insane. But, he needs to meet the killer and talk with him before deciding if he is insane or not. He believes that something occured in the killers childhood that made him this way.  Therefore, Kreizler is driven to find him so that he can make an effort to answer this age old question.  Is this killer insane or just evil?

"Whilst part of what we perceive comes through our senses from the object before us, another part  (and it may be the larger part) always comes out of our mind." William James, The Principles of Psychology

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The Dress Lodger by Shari Holman

Title:  The Dress Lodger

Publisher:  Grove Press

Publication Date:  2010

ISBN:   0802144926

Pages:  320

Source:  Purchased from BN

I finished this book over a week ago and I have waited to write my review because I wanted to let it sink in before I wrote about it.  While reading this book, I found myself flip flopping back and forth  from loving it, to hating it.  I think this is because the characters are surviving in such a dreary place in such a terrible time in history.  There is filth everywhere and a threat of Cholera looming over everyone. The main character is Gustine, a 15 year old prostitute. Gustine is not an ordinary prostitute.  Thanks to her horrible land lord, Gustine's customers are higher class than the average working man.  This is because the landlord has supplied her with a fancy blue dress that makes her look like a lady.  In turn, she sells herself, and he keeps a roof over her head.  But, he has her followed constantly to make sure she doesn't run off with his expensive dress.  Her keeper, is an old crone called, the Eye.  She is called the Eye because she only has one and the other side of her face is deformed.  Gustine gets herself mixed up with a Doctor that is teaching medicine.  She helps the Doctor round up dead people to be used in his teaching.  This all adds up to an adventure like no other.  There are times when the story is being told by dead people.  It is the story of a struggle for survival during a time of disease, filth, poverty, pestilence, and yes even love.  I have never read a book with more interesting characters.  For example, in the beginning of the book, it is being told by a woman that makes her living by painting the ends on match sticks.  She glows blue because the paint is full of phosphorous.  Overall, I believe this book is a good depiction of what it was really like for the people of this era.  If you want to read a book that is captivating, then you need to read this one!

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The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Title:  The Sugar Queen

Author:  Sarah Addison Allen

Date Published:  2009

Publisher:  Bantam

Pages:  294

ISBN:  978-0553384840

Source: Purchased

I loved, loved, loved this book!  It is the story of Josey Cirrini who lives alone with her wealthy mother.  Josey is in her late 20's and still lives with her mother out of guilt.  Over the years she has lost track of herself.  Josey no longer knows who she is.  She  has almost turned into a recluse and the highlight of her day is a visit from the mailman.  But, then a local girl named Della Lee comes into her life.  She shows up in Josey's closet.  She tells Josey that she will only be there for a few days because she can't go back to her abusive boyfriend. There are many reasons why Josey doesn't like this plan, but the main one is that this closet has a secret door that leads to her secret stash of candy! The last thing Josey wants is for her Mother to find out about the secret stash, becasue God knows that her Mother is already critical of her enough.  During Della Lee's stay, many things change for Josey.  Some good and some not so good, but everything that goes on is very interesting and brings some much needed excitement into Josey's dull existence.  Josey learns a lot about herself, her mother, and her dead father.  This is a great story to welcome winter because it is set in the snowy season of North Carolina.  Also, every chapter in the book is named after a type of candy, and the candy name is actually tied into the chapter topic.

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The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Title:  The Restoyer

Author:  Amanda Stevens

Source:  Bought from Amazon

Publisher:  Mira Books

Date:  2011

Pages:  376

My Review:

I was drawn to this book because I love walking through old cemetaries and this book just spoke to me.  After all, its subtitle is The Graveyard Queen Series.  I was not disappointed with the amount of time the plot was actually in the cemetary.  Most of the book takes place in a cemetary by the name of Oak Grove,in Charleston S.C.  Along with a wonderful story line, I learned some new things about old cemetaries, such as the meanings of some of the symbols seen on old tombstones. Also, there are some wonderful epitaph's in this book along with their meanings.  The epitaph's are the  things I love most about old cemetaries.  The main character is Amelia and she is an Archeologist who specializes in Cemetary restoration.  But, she also has an ability to actually see the dead, whose graves she is restoring.  She inherited this ability from her father.  While working on the Oak Grove Cemetary, there is a series of murders that take place in the cemetary.  Amelia gets herself involved with the Detective in charge of the case and together they will take you on a romantic, ghost story ride like you have never been on before.  The next book in the series is due out in November, and I can't wait to read it!  The name of it will be The Kindom and in May, 2012, the 3rd book will be The Prophet.

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This Bird Flew Away by Lynda M. Martin Book Tour

Lynda M. Martin, author of This Bird Flew Away

Lynda was born in Dunfirmline, Scotland in 1953, emigrated to Canada with her parents as a young girl. She grew up on the vast prairies of Western Canada, and loved the open wide spaces of that wild land. She was educated in Medicine Hat, Alberta, a town in the southeast corner of that province, and spent most of her time riding horses, barrel racing and hanging around rodeos and cowboys.

In 1968, the product of a troubled youth and a dysfunctional family, she found herself on her own at the age of fifteen, two thousand miles from her home, and knows first hand the dangers facing girls on our streets and the predators that prey on them. She was one of the lucky ones. She survived.

Later in life, she went east to Montreal for her education, graduating from the University of Montreal with a degree in Business Administration, which provided a fine income, but little in the way of personal satisfaction. Still in her twenties, she became a volunteer with social services to work with troubled teen-aged girls, and took every course the social agencies offered.

Title: The Bird flew Away
Author:  Lynda M. Martin
Publisher:  Black Rose Writing
Date:  27 January 2011
Pages:  312
Source:  Nurture Book Team
Pages:  312

My Review:
I was interested in reading this book because I am a Psychology student with a huge interest in Child Psychology.  I felt like this book might depict real life situations that so many children are living with everyday.  I was right about that, as it is very realistic with such real characters that you are likely to  forget that it is just a story and the characters are ficticious. Lynda martin has written a wonderful story that will knock your socks off!

This book was awesome!! Seriously, it was hard to put down.  Bria, the main character, will take you on a journey that is so full of emotion that it reaches out and grabs you and does  not let go until the very end. Unfortunately, there are way too many Bria's in this world and sadly that makes this story all the more compelling.  She is confronted with things that no child should ever have to face and at times the things she has to deal with are just gut wrenching.  Thank goodness for Jack! He is her saviour! I only wish there were more like him in the world. 

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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Former academic Setterfield pays tribute in her debut to Brontë and du Maurier heroines: a plain girl gets wrapped up in a dark, haunted ruin of a house, which guards family secrets that are not hers and that she must discover at her peril. Margaret Lea, a London bookseller's daughter, has written an obscure biography that suggests deep understanding of siblings. She is contacted by renowned aging author Vida Winter, who finally wishes to tell her own, long-hidden, life story. Margaret travels to Yorkshire, where she interviews the dying writer, walks the remains of her estate at Angelfield and tries to verify the old woman's tale of a governess, a ghost and more than one abandoned baby. With the aid of colorful Aurelius Love, Margaret puzzles out generations of Angelfield: destructive Uncle Charlie; his elusive sister, Isabelle; their unhappy parents; Isabelle's twin daughters, Adeline and Emmeline; and the children's caretakers. Contending with ghosts and with a (mostly) scary bunch of living people, Setterfield's sensible heroine is, like Jane Eyre, full of repressed feeling—and is unprepared for both heartache and romance. And like Jane, she's a real reader and makes a terrific narrator. That's where the comparisons end, but Setterfield, who lives in Yorkshire, offers graceful storytelling that has its own pleasures. (Sept.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Title :  The Thirteenth Tale
Author:  Diane Setterfield
Publisher:  Atria Books
Date:  2006
Source:  Purchased
Pages:  708

My Review:
Ahhh! I do not really know where to begin in reviewing this book because there are so very many great things to be said about it.  The first thing that comes to mind, are the many different paths that it takes the reader down.  It will keep you guessing for all 708 glorious pages.  Just when you think you have something figured out, there comes along another unforeseen twist.
The characters are awesome!  Each of them have such depth that they become real and leap from the pages right  into your reality.  This story is being narrated by a lovely girl named Margaret.  Margaret is a bibliophile, a biographer, and in a way she is also a detective.  She is writing the life story of the world's most beloved authoress, Ms Winter.  Along the way, Margaret gets herself caught in to the  mysterious past of Ms Winters.  Not only is Margaret writing the biography , but she is also trying to solve the mystery that she has gotten herself mixed up in.  All the while she is lost in Ms Winter's story, she is also dealing with her own personal demons.
You will form many, many questions along the way, but not to worry because they will all be answered in the end.  Don't you just hate to read a book that leaves you hanging?  Well, The Thirteenth Tale will not do that.  Every mystery that is uncovered during this story will be answered.
You will not be disappointed with this book!  It has something new to discover around every corner!

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Ashfall by Mike mullin

From AmazonMany visitors to Yellowstone National Park don't realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, and it will erupt again, changing the Earth forever.

Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when the supervolcano erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.

Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter. When an escaped convict injures Alex, he searches for a sheltered place where he can wait--to heal or to die. Instead, he finds Darla. Together, they fight to achieve a nearly impossible goal: surviving the supervolcano.

With nonstop action, a little romance, and realistic science, debut author Mike Mullin tells a mesmerizing story. Readers will turn Ashfall's pages breathlessly, and continue to ponder Alex and Darla's fate long after they close the book.
Title: Ashfall
Author: Mike Mullin
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Date: 27 September 2011
Isbn: 1933718552
Pages: 476
Source:  Goodreads



My Review

I loved this book!  It was hard to stop turning pages just for a bathroom break!  Alex and Darla are two teenagers trying to survive in a world that has been turned upside down by a super volcanoe eruption.  The world has completley changed overnight.  Everything is covered in Ash, there are massive food shortages, people are acting crazy and violent and these two teenagers are trying to survive in this mess. Both Alex and Darla find out just how tough they really are.  They are trying to walk over a hundred miles to get to Alex's parents, or to find out if his parents even survived the disaster.  Along the way, they constantly have obstacles to overcome.  Their journey is a fascinating one!  You will love Alex and Darla.  They start out as innocent kids and will surprise you over and over again with what a couple of kids can accomplish.  Although they have to grow up fast, they still manage to hold on to some of their innocent qualities. Alex and Darla show us that in the wake of horror, you can survive and no matter how horrible your existence may be, love can get you through.

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