Carter, Ally: Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, #2)

June 21, 2011
298 pages, Disney-Hyperion

"You're a smart girl, Katarina - too smart to take stupid chances. Better thieves than you have gone after that blasted stone, and they have paid."

Uncle Eddie stopped, and Kat could have sworn she saw his hand shake. His lips were a thin hard line when he whispered, "Great thieves have paid dearly."

Kat's voice was different when she said, "I know."

"We do not steal the Cleopatra, Katarina. It is..." Eddie trailed off, struggling for words.

"Cursed," Kat offered.

Eddie turned to her. He shook his head. "Forbidden."

Yes. I know I usually start out with the cut and dried blurb that the publishers so kindly provide on the inside flap of a book cover. But this day, my friends, calls for something different. This day, even as I dragged myself into the library after a grueling morning and plunked my card down and drummed my fingers against the wooden counter, was a red-letter day.

I promise that I didn't squeal when I held it in my hands. Well, maybe a little. Inwardly. It just feels like so many of my reads this year were...just not the type of book I needed to hit the spot.

And this is an author who always hits the right spot when it comes to girl power, sheer awesome action and the perfect quip in the face of a near-scrape with disaster. I was pretty sure that I would be savoring this for the rest of the week, but it's 10:03 now and I'm just nearing the last three chapters (I started around two-ish, I think, and had to stop and start around the usual errands). Ah well.

(My sister's heard this all day. Sorry, guys. It's your turn to endure my fangirling. Be happy I'm not pulling out the RPatz GIF again.)

Even though I was pretty sure that Heist Society was meant to stay a stand-alone, this sequel proved me wrong. For one thing, there is just as much Hale as the first one (thank you very much), and though I could've lived without a reappearance from Nick, yeah, he's in there too. I was a bit disappointed that we don't see the Bradshaw twins again until about 200 pages in, but believe me, you'll be too wrapped up in the drama to notice.

I don't want to spoil anything for you - do unto others as you would wish to be treated *halo flickers over head* - but let me just say: Kat. Meets. Her. Match.

Yes. It's the battle of the females, and (though I'm pretty sure who wins) I'm eagerly watching the back and forth action that's going on right now.

So, yeah, I think that pretty much sums it up.

1. Ally Carter is awesome.

2. Uncommon Criminals is one of the best releases of 2011.

3. More than enough Hale to go around.

Good night, America! I'm back to my book. *sinks nose back between pages*

Taylor, Laini: Lips Touch: Three Times

October 1, 2009
272 pages, Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic Inc.)

A girl who’s always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her. 

Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risk killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real. 

And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging — literally belonging — to another world entirely, full of dreaded creatures who can transform into animals, and whose queen keeps little girls as personal pets until they grow to childbearing age.

From a writer of unparalleled imagination and emotional insight, three stories about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch.

I never realized before what an important role is given to the reviewer. Reading a review can completely color your eyes towards a book and its author, even before you've felt it in your hands for yourself, or seen the familiar binding gracing the shelf of a library.


That being said, I will try my best in this review to show you exactly how amazing, electrifying, and simply marvelous this little flame-colored volume is, and why you should read it.

I know, it's a big responsibility, but someone's gotta do it.

Ready?


Okay. I've heard a lot about this book, even before Laini Taylor wrote the tantalizing (and much coveted on my part - curse you, all those lucky BEA attendees that have ARCs!) Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Three stories about kissing with a paranormal bent, yada yada yada.

My first reaction? A picture of this guy.

...No, not Rob Patz (though he's pretty traumatic in himself). The guy he plays. The sparkly vampire.


Yes. There's been so much paranormal floating about that I'm ashamed to admit I've become a bit jaded about new releases, and the possible appearance of another pale-skinned, golden-eyed, anguished immortal hunk (get yours today!) that I kind of put this title aside in my mind and forgot about it.


However, thanks to a few glowing reviews on GoodReads (particularly those of Nanalla and Tatiana - thanks girls!) made me pick this up at the library last week.


To make a potentially long review short, let me just say: if you're looking for one fantasy/paranormal/romantic/fairy tale book to make your favorite read of the year, this pretty much fits the ticket.


Positively. Gorgeous.

And I don't just mean the illustrations.


To quote the book itself:


"Kizzy wanted to be a woman who would dive off the prow of a sailboat into the sea, who would fall back in a tangle of sheets, laughing, and who could dance a tango, lazily stroke a leopard with her bare foot, freeze an enemy's blood with her eyes, make promises she couldn't possibly keep, and then shift the world to keep them...She wanted to be inscrutable, have a drink named after her, a love song written for her, and a handsome adventurer's small airplane, champagne-christened Kizzy, which would vanish one day in a windstorm in Arabia so that she would have to mount a rescue operation involving camels, and wear an indigo veil against the stinging sand, just like the nomads.


Kizzy wanted."

and...


"The others all remembered that stare in the garden, and they could see now in the look that passed between the two that something was already under way. A bridge begun at both ends, reaching toward the place in the middle where they could rest against each other and find completion."


I could post more, but I really don't want to spoil the book for you. Like that breathless moment before a dive into the deep end of a pool, or the sensation of first love, this is something you really have to read - and adore - for yourself.


Warnings: A bit of sexual innuendo. The last story, at least to me, was also a bit more disturbing (a demon queen that keeps human children as pets, and then breed new ones when they come of age), so just keep that in mind.


If you like/recommended for: Fairy tale lovers. It doesn't matter how old you are. Fairy tales are meant to be universal. Why do you think there are around a hundred versions of Cinderella?

Definitely a book you don't want to miss. And please, do yourself a favor and read it instead of listening to the audiobook. Your eyes will thank you.

Carter, Aimee: The Goddess Test (The Goddess Test, #1)

April 19, 2011
304 pages, Harlequin Teen

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.


If she fails...

Honestly, I liked the concept of this story a bit more than I thought I would be. Recently, I seem to  be a bit - jaded? pessimistic? - about the quality of YA fiction. Characters are redundant. Plots fall through like the hole in a donut. However, The Goddess Test was a rare exception.

That isn't to say the story was completely perfect. The main aspect that made my sister and I have a good laugh was the name Henry. If you're a mythology geek (like moi) you are probably aware that besides his main title, Hades, the God of the Underworld has several different names that he is called by. Henry evokes a picture of a stuffy young English man with lace about his collar, rather than a tall, dark and handsome immortal.

Also (not really a big deal) the high school and its surrounding areas instantly makes me think of Forks - or that might be the little blurb stating Henry as being "dark and tortured"...Edward Cullen, anyone?

The other bone of contention happened near the end - a brief, not-at-all described night of intimacy between Kate and Henry that I thought was unnecessary. If this doesn't bother you, please overlook my morals, but for me that was a bit of a squicky situation, as was the "discussion" afterward about the circumstances that fueled their, ahem, lust. As a teenager, I can tell you straight off that adding intimate scenes in a YA book doesn't convince me that it's meant for my age group.

(Then again, I guess you can't expect less from Harlequin.)

Other than that, the story was an intriguing idea - what if Persephone couldn't adapt to Hades? What if there was a need for another Queen of the Underworld? I liked Kate well enough - up until the part I mentioned; her desire to have more time with her dying mother was honorable, although I don't think that quickly accepting the proposal of a strange guy - no matter how cute he is - is really a smart thing to do. (Don't try this at home, kids.)

To make a long story short, it wasn't Rick Riordan, but it was an interesting opening to the series, and I can't help but want to see what happens next.

Warnings: Brief scene of intimacy, not described, but you know what happened. There's also a girl with loose morals when it comes to the opposite gender, if you get what I mean.

Just a quick commentary on the cover. I think that the designers were very appropriate with the model and the way they positioned her. She sort of gives off this desperate, yet resigned, look (does that even make sense?), and the way her hand rests on her chest makes me feel as though she's taking her last breath.

I'm all about the symbolism.

Lee, Y.S.: The Agency: A Spy in the House

March 9, 2010
335 pages, Candlewick Press

Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

Okay. If you've read The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter (and if you haven't, I don't know what is wrong with you), just picture the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Girls placed in the middle of grimy, smelly, decadent 19th century England. Make Cammy an ex-thief with a hidden family background, put Zach in gentleman tweeds and a carriage, and add in the possibility of smugglers.

Yeah. Pretty cool, right?

Mary upholds herself throughout the story as a put-together, independent heroine. She's been through the worst that the world has thrown at her and bears her scars, but is not emotionally dependent on the love interest (though he is pretty awesome himself when it comes to the detective business). Of course, there are a few instances when you can't help but shake her when it comes to speculating about said love interest - "is he in love with her? No, he can't be. But what if he does care? He does care, doesn't he?" Fortunately, these brief instances are overshadowed by the plot line.

Everyone has a secret, even the intrepid detective herself - and believe me, hers is one I definitely wasn't expecting. The plot line keeps you guessing right up to the climax, which is something I've been looking for in recent mysteries and, unfortunately, usually falls flat of the target.
 
Warnings: There is some mention of social issues that you know did happen, but might be a little squirmy to read about. The master of the house owns a questionable book detailing the forced liaisons between slave owner and helpless slave woman. One of the maids is thrown out for being six months pregnant by said master, and a few people actually accuse Mary of being her replacement. Things like that. So you definitely know this isn't for younger readers.

Recommended for... Fans of Sherlock Holmes. Anyone who likes Ally Carter (though it's a different style and time period). People looking for a bit of girl power, adventure and a proper serving of romance.


Final notes. 
 
4. Just one stroke off.

- Intriguing cast of characters.
- Likable heroine.
- Unexpected twist of fate.

I guess the reason I couldn't give this a full five-star...er, paint stroke...rating was simply because at one point, the plot just seemed to drag. Maybe it's because it's me and I'm a bit impatient to get on to the next read waiting in my book bag, maybe because the speculation behind the whodunit was taking too much time for my fancy. Eh. You can decide for yourself.

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop (70111)

"What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?"

Okay. So let's just pretend I haven't gushed over the Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfield so many times and go with that. When I read the first book earlier this year, the uniqueness of the plot - I mean, an alternate WWII? A prince on the run? How cool is that? - was initially what hooked me into the storyline. Of course, there's also the writing style, and the cool illustrations that go along with the chapters...

...Alright, let's just leave it at the uniqueness factor. That's pretty much the main thing that hooks me because I HATE REDUNDANCY and when authors don't have their own mind. Case in point: all the pale-skinned, broody heroes that have emerged in the literary world since Twilight burst onto the scene.

Which, by the way, segues us successfully into the second part of the question: what makes me stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf? Ever since I started book blogging, I've developed the annoying habit of persevering for a) the sake of reviewing the book for prosperity, and b) a vain hope that the hero will get his...ahem...behind into gear and do something interesting before the last fifty pages.

But, since we're on the subject, as I mentioned before, I hate when authors are unoriginal. Or add in a bit of tawdry smut in order to keep things going. This is my own moral standing, but I don't think you prove yourself as a good writer if you have to resort to profanity or graphic scenarios in order to keep the plot-line going. And, from the mouth of a teenager, I don't feel as though "you understand me" if you add in these so-called plot mechanisms.

Alright. So I think I gave you enough for your money's worth.

"Ack! Your favorite book character (ie. Hermione Granger as played by Emma Watson) has just stepped into the room! How do you react?"

Okay. So my favorite book character would be someone like Percy Jackson (as played by Logan Lerman, even though he didn't really do as great a job as expected IMO) or, yeah, Hermione or Ron would be awesome as well.

Probably, if any of my favorite characters - manifested in movie form or not - appeared in front of me, I'd probably jump up and be like, "Take me with you!" because believe me, there has to be something exciting going on.

(Though I'm not sure I'd like to get involved with bloodthirsty Greek gods or Dementors in real life. Whatever. It'd still be cool.)

Wood, Maryrose: Why I Let My Hair Grow Out (Morgan Rawlinson, #1)

March 6, 2007
218 pages, Berkley Jam

Being sent to your room is one thing. But being sent to another country? 

Morgan's boyfriend dumped her on the last day of school - it seemed the only thing to do was to hack off her hair and dye the stubble orange. Unfortunately, Morgan's parents freaked and decided a change of scenery would do her good. So they're sending her off on a bike tour of Ireland. 

But Morgan gets more than she bargained for on the Emerald Isle - including a strange journey into some crazy, once upon a time corner of the past. There, she meets fairies, weefolk, and a hunky warrior-dude named Fergus, and figures out that she's got some growing to do-and she doesn't just mean her hair.

So Morgan might be reacting a little badly to her recent breakup.

Well...badly might be an understatement.

After she takes the shears to her hair, Morgan's parents totally hit the roof and ship her off to Ireland for a bike tour, hoping (perhaps a little too optimistically) that a little time away from home will straighten her out. The country is unexplored, the fellow tourists all with their own interesting quirks and reasons to get away - and of course, there's Colin, who seems to Morgan to be the perfect rebound boy for her heartbreak.

Of course, this is all before she knocks her head and wakes up to long hair, a beautiful ancient warrior with a familiar face, and a talking horse standing guard over her body. Can anyone say, time travel?

After meeting her and reading her other two series (The Poison Diaries and The Incorrigable Children of Ashton Place - both are still in progress, and both are amazing), this book sets a different tone than Maryrose Wood usually has. Still, though, the writing is pretty good; she hits the feel of a hurt, troubled teenager spot-on. My only complaint would be the coarse language, of which there is a LOT, and a lot of unnecessary innuendo.

Warnings:

Mature language, extremely obvious innuendo, alcohol served to a minor, a bitter teenage girl with no verbal or mental filters - you get the idea.

And let's tally up the rating points!

Points for:

Historical research

Realistic character

Accurately retelling mythology

Minus for:

Language

Innuendo

A rather rushed resolution ending, in my opinion (I felt almost like I was living out someone's confuzzled nightmare after eating cheese right before bed - it was that confusing)

Final notes:

I'm not sure if I'll keep reading this series or not. It's definitely something different, but the language issue is always a touchy spot for me. And besides, I still have the second book of the Poison Diaries (ARC! I am so glad to have a generous younger sister) to finish up... ;)

McLean, Sarah: The Season

March 1, 2009
343 pages, Orchard Books

Seventeen year old Lady Alexandra is strong-willed and sharp-tongued — in a house full of older brothers and their friends, she had to learn to hold her own. Not the best makings for an aristocratic lady in Regency London. Yet her mother still dreams of marrying Alex off to someone safe, respectable, and wealthy. But between ball gown fittings, dances, and dinner parties, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get herself into what may be her biggest scrape yet. 

When the Earl of Blackmoor is mysteriously killed, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. But will Alex's heart be stolen in the process? In an adventure brimming with espionage, murder, and other clandestine affairs, who could possibly have time to worry about finding a husband? Romance abounds as this year's season begins! 

If you already know me, you know that I have been raised on a steady diet of period dramas and black and whites. Due to a lifelong adoration of Jane Austen, Regency happens to be one of my favorite historical eras. That, and the fact that it was condoned by The Story Siren (who I admire) and Carrie Ryan, who is one of my favorite authors, resulted in my picking this up on one of my routine library visits last week.

First, let me start by saying that when it comes to historical description - particularly when it comes to dresses, the number of ways that a girl can be ruined, and even little details like taking a turn about a crowded ball room - this author is totally legit. The story reads like one of those BBC mini-series that I am fond of, and it isn't too hard for the reader to fill in their own imagery when it comes to faces like Alex or her "darkly handsome" Gavin.

That being said, the drawback of this story to me was a lack of murder. Yes, you read that correctly. On the cover, in the flap, on the back, in all the reviews, there is promised a murder mystery that Alex and her friends must solve - the murder of Gavin's father, the previous Earl of Blackmoor. While it is true that the man has been murdered, it takes nearly half the book to get around to the main conflict.

Instead, the reader is entertained by Gavin and Alex's slow, and frustrating, romance. I didn't mind it much, but somehow, to me, I can't help but feel that Gavin runs hot and cold. First he's giving Alex a long, intense stare, and then he's back with that prissy whats-her-face that he knows she can't tolerate.

Also, I would've preferred a bit of a stronger female character. Alex seems to be modeled after Elizabeth Bennett - opinionated, a Daddy's girl, and able to hold her own when it comes to male friends - and yet, she lacks some important compound of spirit that Austen's famous characters all seemed to contain. An obsession with her newfound crush, perhaps, or a bit too much insistence that she's an independent, single woman (hear her roar).

Otherwise, this book is meant to be a light-hearted, quick read, and on the whole Sarah McLean succeeded with what she set out to achieve. I'd definitely read her next novel when it comes out, if only for the delight of discovering another era from clear, authentic eyes.

(On a side note, a certain writer's blurb is on the back. I read the blurb before the author's name and even then, I was like, "Hmm, this sounds like Anna Godberson" - who, if you recall, I spent the whole day with this past April - and then it turned out it was her. Just goes to show you that a little observation goes a long way.)

And let's tally up the rating points!

Points for:
Historical research

Authenticity

Minus for:
Rather unlikeable heroine

Weak supporting cast

Final notes:
A quick summer read for those looking for a taste of history. 

Gier, Kerstin: Ruby Red

April 28, 2011
336 pages, Henry Holt and Co.

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Gwenyth Shepherd has always known that her cousin Charlotte will be the one who inherits their family's time-traveling gene - an important role for the sake of society and the past, and one that Gwenyth, who prefers watching movies with her best friend Lesley and shunning the center of attention, hardly envies.

However, when it is Gwen who goes back in time three times in the matter of one day, the entire family is turned on its ear. Charlotte, the one who got the language, fencing and ettiquette lessons, now is obsolete - and a destined line of time travelers predicted in part by Sir Issac Newton himself is now in question.

Gwen is now compelled to be her family's new champion, alongside the infuriating and devilishly handsome Gideon de Villiers, but it is hardly going to be easy. A hidden family scandal, outfits straight out of Marie Antoinette's wardrobe, and a count who isn't quite on the same scale of Dracula, but bad enough, are all waiting in the wings to make this teenager's ride through time one she'll never forget.

It is easy to see how this story would be an international bestseller. Gier definitely knows her modern-day teenager, from Lesley and Gwen using period dramas to research the Virgin Queen, to Charlotte's sulking about no longer being the one in the limelight. Gideon, obviously identified as the love interest, is snarky and yet understanding as the story unwinds and you get to know him more.

This story is an excellent medley of both the past and the present, and, from an author who is German, writing about England, and just recently translated into English, it is a pleasant surprise that definitely should be expected.

And let's tally up the rating points!

Points for:

Originality

Supporting cast

World

Believable, likeable heroine

Likeable (not at all Edward Cullen-esque) love interest

Final notes:

I'm a bit peeved with myself for not saving this book until the next has been translated; now I really have a long wait ahead of me. 

Coakley, Lena: Witchlanders

August 30, 2011
224 pages, Athenum 

High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future. 

It’s all a fake. 

At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated? 

But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change.

Ryder has a lot on his plate - a farm that he has to tend alone after the death of his Fa, a so-called witch mother addicted to the maiden's woe that both incurs visions and an early death...and the dreams. There is a Baen in his head, that he is sure of - an enemy witch, playing games with his mind, even as his mother claims that she has seen her most important prophecy: an assassin across the mountains that he must stop.

Falpain is in mourning for his twin brother and supposed soul mate. Sent by his father to Stonehouse for seclusion, he is all too aware of the invisible barrier between Witchlander and Baen, and the consequences of crossing it. But for the sake of his family, he knows all too well that he will have to face death in the eye. He doesn't know how soon that will be.

Coakley seamlessly alternates and merges the two points of view, raising sympathy for Ryder in one moment before she turns back to Falpain's mind for clarification in the next. I particularly loved how she created her own patchwork world out of various traditions and suggestions of real world cultures - ie. a village that sounds European in its way of life, golems and spoiled boys who are allowed lapdogs.

Warnings: Character deaths, golem attacks and fearsome spiders - if that type of thing bothers anyone except for a certain person who watched Arachnophobia *shudders*

And let's tally up the rating points!

Points for:

Originality

Supporting cast

World

Believable, likeable hero

Final notes:

I was really fortunate to notice this title in this month's S&S Galley Grab. Definitely one of the more enjoyable books I've had occasion to peruse this year, and one that I highly recommend. I hope that there will be a sequel.

Kagawa, Julie: The Iron King (Iron Fey, #1)

February 1, 2010
363 pages, Harlequin Teen


Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. 

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. 

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. 

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Meaghan has always been haunted by her father's disappearance when she was a child. Now, at seventeen, she feels isolated, forgotten by her mother and stepfather in the wake of her precious half-brother Ethan's presence, and, after a disasterous attempt at confessing her feelings, dealing with a ticked-off jock out to make her life miserable.

But of course, when you think your life is at an ultimate low, fate has to make things interesting by making it all hit the proverbial fan.

In a twist of fate reminiscent of Labrinyth, Ethan is spirited away and replaced with a creature with a hunger for carnage. Meaghan's only friend turns out to be one of the most famous fairies in the history of literature. And, of course, there's a dark-hearted boy whose idea of courtship is constant death threats.

All in the life of an undiscovered faerie princess, right?

I have to give Julie Kagawa props: going on the same idea as Lesley Livingston's Wonderous Strange - which I love -  (daughter of the fairy king, Puck as her guardian, falling in love with a faery boy she's not supposed to have), she churned out an unbelievably real, albeit dark and frightening, world that you could just see playing out on the big screen from the hands of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton.

There are gnomes. There are trolls. There are fast chase scenes and gruesome deaths. This is definitely not a book meant for younger readers. With the innuendo and constant language, it's way out of my comfort zone even as a teenager. If you feel the same way, I'd really recommend Wonderous Strange - a little less intense, and still an awesome storyline.

That being said, The Iron King still needs recognition for proving that even if an idea might have already been done, you can still add your own touch with the right imagination and, in this case, the right amount of Gothic horror to keep the storyline going.

Warnings: A lot of profanity, an attempted assault by a bunch of drunken satyrs, scary characters right out of a Tim Burton...yeah, let's just say "not for the faint of heart."

And let's tally up the rating points!
Points for:
Originality (evil computer-virus faeries, anyone?)

Supporting cast (puck at his most boisterous, albeit foul-mouthed)

World (bristling with menace, evil goblins and blank-eyed humans in thrall to their own deaths)
Minus points for:

Strong language

Extreme violence

Situational violence (i'm really sounding like a television rating system here, aren't i?)

Annoyingly dependent heroine (though i must give her props for being determined to retrieve her younger brother.)

Cliche brooding love interest
Final notes:
I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series. I did receive the free Kindle edition of the companion Puck story the author recently released, so I probably will read and review that. I really don't relish going out of my comfort zone when there are other stories on my list that I am waiting eagerly to get my hands on.

It depends. Maybe.

In My Mailbox {1}

From the library...

The Season by Sarah McLean

Seventeen year old Lady Alexandra is strong-willed and sharp-tongued — in a house full of older brothers and their friends, she had to learn to hold her own. Not the best makings for an aristocratic lady in Regency London. Yet her mother still dreams of marrying Alex off to someone safe, respectable, and wealthy. But between ball gown fittings, dances, and dinner parties, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get herself into what may be her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is mysteriously killed, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. But will Alex's heart be stolen in the process? In an adventure brimming with espionage, murder, and other clandestine affairs, who could possibly have time to worry about finding a husband?

The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliott

Spoiled, beautiful fourteen-year-old Eugénie de Boncoeur is accustomed to outrageous privilege. The French Revolution may rage around her, but Eugénie's luxurious lifestyle is only improved by visits from her brother, Armand, especially doting since the two were orphaned. What Eugénie doesn't know is that their guardian has promised her in marriage to the wealthy, vengeful Le Fantome, a revolutionary nursing a secret grudge against her family. As the Revolution becomes increasingly violent, Eugénie is shipped off to convent school. Finally, there is no place in France that is safe for her. Eugénie dusts off her lightly used brains and rises to the challenge of survival; and soon she is in the thick of turmoil and romance, confronting spies, secret agents, and double-crossing suitors in her quest to get out of France alive.

Squire (Protector of the Small, #3) by Tamora Pierce

In Book 3 of Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small sequence, 14-year-old Keladry of Mindelan is ready to begin training as a squire after undergoing four grueling years as the first girl to be officially educated as a page. 


Theodosia and the Eye of Horus by R.L. LaFevers 

Being able to detect black magic isn’t all tea and crumpets — and for Theodosia Throckmorton, it can be a decidedly tricky business! When Sticky Will drags Theo to a magic show featuring the Great Awi Bubu, she quickly senses there is more to the magician than he lets on, setting in motion a chain of events she never could have bargained for. 

Kindle...

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (free on Amazon!)


Young Kitty Charing stands to inherit a vast fortune from her irascible and eccentric guardian - provided she marries one of his great-nephews... No sooner does Kitty arrive in London then the race for her hand begins, but between confirmed rakes and bumbling affections, Kitty needs a daring scheme ...


The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Think vampires are romantic and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. 

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. 

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. 

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war.


The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis  

Eleven-year-old Sallie March is a whip-smart tomboy and voracious reader of Western adventure novels. When she and her sister Maude escape their self-serving guardians for the wilds of the frontier, they begin an adventure the likes of which Sallie has only read about. This time however, the "wanted woman" isn't a dime-novel villain, it's Sallie's very own sister! What follows is not the lies the papers printed, but the honest-to-goodness truth of how two sisters went from being orphans to being outlaws—and lived to tell the tale!

What are you reading?

Summertime, and the Living is (Relatively) Easy

 

(Recognize the cartoon and I'll give you a virtual cookie.)

 Yes, it's that time of year again - the time when sweaters aren't mandatory, you can actually go out with sandals without getting your toes frozen off, and...yes, the most important part...books are a very necessary accessory for all those times you head out to soak out the sun.

And I aim to take full advantage of all this warm, wonderful reading weather.

Yes sire. No more Miss Disorganized Scrambling to Find the Right Title on library days. Implementing a little "book-list" notebook that slides easily into my tote has helped a little bit, but stepping into a world of so many books still seems to overwhelm me from time to time. 

That being said, and with so many new and exciting titles making their debut, I have made it easier all around by typing up my very own Summer Reading List 2011. Of course, this hardly means I will stick to it, or that I will manage to polish off all the titles by the time school rolls around (one can only hope), but it adds structure, and that's always a good thing.

The list's document will be accessible in the sidebar, because I have a feeling putting all those titles will swamp any available space. If any suggestions or recommendations are thought of, I'd really appreciate it. You can never have enough books!

Bradbury, Jennifer: Wrapped

May 24, 2011
320 pages, Athenum 
Historical Fiction/Adventure/Suspense

Agnes Wilkins is standing in front of an Egyptian mummy, about to make the first cut into the wrappings, about to unlock ancient (and not-so-ancient) history. 

Maybe you think this girl is wearing a pith helmet with antique dust swirling around her. 

Maybe you think she is a young Egyptologist who has arrived in Cairo on camelback. 

Maybe she would like to think that too. Agnes Wilkins dreams of adventures that reach beyond the garden walls, but reality for a seventeen-year-old debutante in 1815 London does not allow for camels—or dust, even. No, Agnes can only see a mummy when she is wearing a new silk gown and standing on the verdant lawns of Lord Showalter’s estate, with chaperones fussing about and strolling sitar players straining to create an exotic “atmosphere” for the first party of the season. 

An unwrapping. 

This is the start of it all, Agnes’s debut season, the pretty girl parade that offers only ever-shrinking options: home, husband, and high society. It’s also the start of something else, because the mummy Agnes unwraps isn’t just a mummy. It’s a host for a secret that could unravel a new destiny—unleashing mystery, an international intrigue, and possibly a curse in the bargain. 

 This, right here, is the type of book I want to write when I grow up.

With a seamless mesh of humor, authentic historical facts and adventure, Bradbury weaves the story of Agnes Wilkins, a young girl living in the heart of the Regency Period (one of my loves that I could not help but squeal when I realized Ms. Bradbury loves it just as well), obsessed with Jane Austen novels - though at the time they were penned by "A Lady" - and, at the very moment in which the story begins, standing with a knife in preparation to cut into a mummy.

Not in the sweltering heat and dusty lands of Egypt, mind you. Right at home in jolly old England, at the party of a certain Lord Showalter who may or may not be interested in making Agnes his next acquisition, and under the eyes of a suspicious young man who might or might not be a spy.

And then, right after Agnes guiltily ferrets away a particular find in her foot of wrapping - a small amulet that doesn't seem that valuable - a murder is announced.

And British society will never be the same.

Agnes is an endearing and strong heroine with a habit of translating A Lady quotes into other languages when she gets agitated - an unusual find in the recent deluge of Bella Swan knock-offs and boy-obsessed Juliets, and something which made me even more enraptured with the tale.

And of course, there's Caedon Stowe, museum apprentice, daring sidekick and a scholar of all that is ancient and decrepit. Don't you just admire a smart boy?


Warnings: Two brief and forgettable instances of vulgar language, and, for the faint of heart, mentions of dried out cadavers and murdered corpses. Be sure to have your smelling salts on hand.

And let's tally up the rating points!

5 - Strong heroine

4.5 - Likeable love interest (although he does have his moments of typical exasperating male behavior)

5 - Authentic historical facts, without coming off as a presumptuous prig (and a fine British aura to boot)

5 - Brilliant supporting cast, from the romantic French ladies' maid to the annoying older brother with his own secrets to hide

5 - No sudden bouts of the paranormal. Always worth a point in my opinion.

-1 - Cliche criminal mastermind that I totally saw coming.

Conclusion = A pretty spot-on tale. Definitely worth the read.