Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa

Finally! A conglomeration of all Kagawa's Iron Fey short stories in print! Technically I got this a few weeks ago, but today I had some extra time, so I read the "last" of Meghan's story called the "Iron Prophecy" which was very good. It's rather short, only 8 or 9 chapters, but it's well written and all the beloved characters are in it. Puck, Meg, Ash, Grim, as well as everyone's favorite crazy Summer and Winter Faerie monarchs. As per usual Mab is a bitch, Titania ignores everyone, and Oberon is indifferent. And MAJOR SPOILER....

MEGHAN IS PREGNANT!!!!! Whooo! But only sort of, since according to a psycho seer Meghan and Ash's baby is fated to destroy the world or something. Who knows...

Anyway READ IT! With the whole gang together fun, crazy, and dangerous things are bound to happen!

In this book we also have "Winter's Passage" where Ash is forced to take Meghan back to the Iron Kingdom due to a promise. During this little trip them manage to run into the Big Bad Wolf. Like as in Red Riding Hood, the one of nightmares and horror movies. He's been contracted by a certain someone to kidnap Meghan and possibly kill Ash if the moment presents itself.

Also to be found is "Summer's Crossing" the short story where Ash and Puck (the narrator) team up to look for a Violin Leansidhe needs back. Naturally Titania stole it, because if there's one person Titania hates more that Meghan and Oberon, its Leanshidhe. Their relationship is... less than pleasant.

All in all I'm thrilled to have the short stories in print. Plus in Iron Prophecy you get some hints as to what Ethan's story will entail and how he fits into a prophecy about destroying the three Fey Courts. Its interesting. All I have to say is: Ethan, you could have done waaaay better in the nephew department. Good Luck!

-Madison (who feels bad for Ethan at this point)

PS <3 Grim!

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Sooooo, I was going to post something a while ago about some YA murder novel, but my friend gave me this to try out. You all have probably heard mention of this series, whether it be the books or the HBO television show. And hot dang, it is addicting.

I don't even know where to start with describing the premise to this book. Everything is so entwined and convoluted and complex, and it just fits so perfectly together. So many characters that can appeal to so many senses and emotions to the readers, spawning rivalries between fans who pick sides. Plus, I can't say anything regarding to what it's about since I myself haven't really found out yet, since I am only halfway through the first book. One things about these books is that they are long. Book One is probably around 700 pages. I'll try and give a quick run-down of the characters and connections.

There's the Stark family, a lordship in Winterfell. Within this family there is Eddard, or Ned. Much like his surroundings in the cold North, Ned is stern and rules with a just hand over his land. Married to Ned is his wife, Catelyn. I don't care much for Catelyn, but even I must admit that she is one tough woman. Catelyn married Ned for politics, thought at the point the book starts in they are in love, and her former family - the Tully's - are important to look out for.
Ned and Catelyn have five children; the youngest being Rickon at age three. Then there's Bran - adventerous and stubborn at a playful age of seven. Arya, a tomboyish and rebellious girl of age ten, who avoids to be in her older sister Sansa's shadow. Sansa, two years Arya's elder, is the prim and proper lady who swoons over prince Joffrey (trust me, I will get to him later). The Eldest of the Stark children is Robb, who strives to be a good leader. But wait, something's amiss... Catelyn gave birth to five Stark children, Ned begetted six. Thus leads me to Jon Snow, Lord Stark's resident bastard. Jon is nice, sarcastic, and a big ambition to overcast his ego. One of my favorite things about the Stark/Snow chlildren is that they all get wolf puppies, and they actually are important to the story too! :)

Then there's the Lannister house. The Lannisters are infamous for their treacheries and formal "b*tchery". Twin brother and sister Jamie and Cersei are likely what any parent dreamed to raise  - tall, blonde hair and blue eyes, strikingly beautiful and successful. Their brother Tyrion, however, got the short end of the genetic straw. ...Okay, that "short" comment was totally unintentional, but fitting so I'm keeping it. Tyrion's a dwarf, hobbling around with stunted limbs and an overly large head. Relishing in people's disdain, Tyrion spends a great amount of his time in brothels with booze on hand. Tyrion is sarcastically bitter, and has a mouth three times the size of his body. Despite all of his quick remarks, the Imp actually can be helpful, giving a remarkably profound speech here and there.
Cersei is married to King Robert, and please bear in mind that I am biting my tongue to hold back any biased character descriptions. Cersei's son, however, no bars are held. Prince Joffrey is a slimy, conniving, whiny S.O.B. This kid takes Draco Malfoy to a whole new level. At least Malfoy sounded dignified whenever he said "My father will hear about this." Joffrey just plainly goes all out with "I'm telling Mother! X("

Totally unrelated to those families on the mainland, pan across the Narrow Sea to ex-Princess Daenerys. King Robert's family had cleared her family off of the throne, and now she and her abusive brother Viserys live in exile. Viserys, though, has a burning vengeance to take back his rightful throne. His plan is to marry 14-year old Daenerys to the leader of the savage Dothraki tribe. Dany, witholding protests, accepts her fate and adapts to the Dothraki lifestyle, but what gets her through suffering with Viserys are her dragon eggs. The eggs have been petrified to stone with age - dragons have long been extinct. Her family is supposed to be of dragon blood, and Visreys rarely lets her forget that by annoyingly saying "Don't wake the dragon" when he gets mad. This guy is nothing like a dragon. A snake, more like.

Every one of the characters has their own story to tell, and you get views at all of their victories and tragedies - though mostly tragedies. Seriously, these people define the term "FML". Nothing good ever comes to these people. Abusive relationships, deaths, framings, disappearances beyond the Wall involving somethings called the Others, more abusive relationships... Sheesh! They only ones who seem to have a good relationship are a certain twosome who do incest. Ew.

Whew! Finally done hurting my brain trying to sort all of that out. Now that I described everyone, I'll let you know who are my favorites. I like Arya, Tyrion, Jon, and Daenerys. So far, that is. I can't help but wonder where they will all turn out when I get close to finishing the still-expanding series. Post in the comments who any of you guys like (just please spare me, any Cersei or Sansa fans). If anyone here is too lazy/busy to read the series (I can't blame you there), watch the HBO show. I gotta say that the books are better, but the show is incredibly accurate in events.

And remember: Winter is Coming.

Peace my brethren!
- Julia  :)

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Just a quick thing I have to mention before beginning the review. That dreaded time has reached us all finally, like a zombie hand clawing at you from a grave: school time.

 Now that Madison and I are back in the rut of school, that means more work for us, and less time to write reviews. We won't let you guys down, but please be patient.

And now, the main event of the actual book review.

4.1 stars out of 5

We all know the classic animated story of Peter Pan. Sweeping Wendy off her feet into Neverland. But what was Peter's story before meeting Wendy? Pan the camera to Tiger Lily, the Shaman's daughter of the Sky Eater clan.
This story takes a unique twist out of a classic tale, and it takes a slight turn to the dark side.

Stubborn, obstinate, and reserved, Tiger Lily is the pariah to the clan. She acts nothing like the girl she should be, so naturally that'd spark some bullying from the other children. One dunk into a pot of meat broth and they learned their lesson. Whenever something bad happens to Tiger Lily, particularly involving people, bad things happen in return. I don't quite recall what some of the things were, but I think one person caught on fire and died. And always when something of this sort happens, there are always crows. Sitting there and cawing at the villagers. Tiger Lily feels a connection to them, and wears two crow feathers in her crazed hair to symbolize these events. Creepy enough for you?

Tiger Lily, instead of being a princess as depicted in the animated film, is the Shaman's adopted daughter. Which is still a big deal. Tik Tok, the Shaman, is really the only person who encourages Tiger Lily to be different. She silently follows his examples, as he often wears women's garb and has hair down to his waist. Now I'm not saying that Tik Tok does drag, he's too awesome, but he likes dresses - ones that look like they can appeal to either gender.

In this interpretation, people do stop aging, but it's unknown how they do or at what age they will cease to grow old. There is folklore that the body stops growing at the most important time in your life. Tiger Lily stays fifteen for over eighty years at the end of the story. (Not a spoiler, that's given in the beginning). Another seemingly immortal, is the infamous Peter Pan. He and his gang of Lost Boys traverse through the forests, bringing fear to those of the Native villages. Honestly, I didn't see them to be too bad, and you never hear any specific tales of things that they've done. Peter and his Boys act more like confused dogs than savage wolves.

On the very first page, there is a blatant disclaimer that this story ends in tragedy or some vague thing of the sort. Even despite that, you're imploring for everything to work out in the end. And some things do, but others most definitely do not.

In the beginning, Tiger Lily saves an English man from drowning. He didn't just randomly wind up there, he was originally on one of many ships. What's that, you say? How are so many English ships able to find Neverland? Neverland is not simply some far off magical land, but a hard-to-locate island far to the depths of undiscovered land in the colonial era. From the point they let the English man stay in the village, things go wrong. It's like a slap in the face from history, because you slowly see as the English spread their language and religion through the village, making them turn against each other and their own culture. Sound familiar?

While this is all going on, Tiger Lily has met Peter Pan. (Because generally in a romance story the boy and girl need to actually meet at some point.) She finds her home with the Lost Boys to be better than the village, where she can be her rough and rowdy self. I did enjoy the romance between her and Peter, but man does that boy have some severe A.D.D. It's hard to describe without giving things away, but trust me on that.

Oh, and one of the best things about this is the narrator is "unseen". Unseen to the characters, but not to us. Only someone particularly small can pull that off. Tinkerbell! The faerie tells the tale through her point of view, and the fae here have emotional abilities in which they can tell what the characters are feeling or even thinking at times. I found it amusing to detect Tink's jealously at Tiger Lily when the faerie becomes smitten with Peter. She travels back and forth between the Lost Boys' hideout and the Sky Eater village to try and satisfy her curiosity, giving us a good look at everyone's point of view.

Overall, this is a story of love, loss, jealousy, tough choices, growing up, and revenge. If you're in the mood for something light-hearted to read, I don't recommend this. But if you want something that will leave an impression on your childhood memories, go for it.

Ta ta for now!
- Julia ;)

Nevermore (Maximum Ride Book 8) by James Patterson

3.2 stars out of 5

If you haven't read this series, I apologize for this review not making much sense. I just need to vent.

So, in case the thousands of reminders all over the cover haven't informed you, this is the last book to the Maximum Ride series. As an avid fan of the characters, all I can say is finally! Don't get me wrong, I still liked the series (well, the first half of it anyways), but its seems like it was dragged out way too long. Like an old dog finally resting from exhaustion.

For me, this series started going downhill around book 4 or 5. I just had to finish, having some inkling of hope that it would get better. It did, but not by a whole lot. This installment to the series was sooo overly dramatic with all the ads and buildup and everything. There isn't even a description or anything on the flap of the book. It just says in big bold letters THIS IS THE END. Big-friggin-whoop. And James Patterson seemed to have gotten cocky when writing this, perhaps thinking, "Teehee! People will buy this no matter what crud I write! They're hooked!"
... You win this round, Patterson.

And now to actually talk about the book. The 99 Percenters are still looking to wipe out the Earth's population, and emotions run high between the flock, who are - wait what? They're at school? Again? Seriously, how many times have they tried this, like three? This time seems to be working better for them, though, having their identities as mutant freaks out in public. At least now they can fly wherever and whenever.

Fang's still gone with his own little mini-flock, leaving Max wiiide open for Dylan to creep himself into the picture. I didn't hate Dylan all that much, but he did have his moments of peculiarity, and later in this book, insanity. (You'll get to that later when reading). When attending a normal high school, Max seems to be the only one out of place. The rest of the flock adapts well, especially Nudge and Dylan. Every girl freaking swoons over Dylan, and while Max herself is blushing, she thinks, "Man, thank God I'm not affected." You can't sneak by me, Maxie ;) heehee.

Despite everything these guys have been through in the flock, some of the characters are still so one-dimensional! Gasman rarely said anything, and it seemed as if he were trying to stay in character. And Iggy got, like, NO lines!!! Just a one-liner here, a quick smooch with Ella there, and then poof, no more characterization. Did Patterson not think there were any Iggy fans out there? RIGHT HERE, BUDDY! (*cough, meanie-head, cough)

And Fang? Can I just say I find his thing going on with Maya is creepy? I mean, the chick is Max's clone. Talk about a replacement (eyeroll). I felt really bad for Maya that Fang saw Max at a first glance whenever he looked at her, no matter how hard he tried not to or how much she tried to change herself.

So back to the plot, before I get into rant-mode again. Fang eventually returns to the main flock after hearing the Voice, which now everyone can hear. (It says different things to everyone, though.) Oh and you do get to find out who the Voice is, though I can't say it's much of a surprise. Fang shows up at the door, incredibly bloodied and broken. And despite that, he still want to rip the vocal chords out of Dylan.

One quick thing (that will likely snowball into another rant), I never really got Fang's blog. It was kind of interesting to see how he was trying to connect with the other people of the world, but how is he supposed to be the classic badass going around saying "Check me out, I have a blog." Pssht, seriously, who reads blogs? (-eyes dart around -) Oh, riiiight. This is a blog, isn't it?

Once the flock is all reunited (and it feels so gooood), and after a massive fight scene, they're led by a small group of good-guy scientists to a literal paradise. Coconuts, palm trees, hammock tree houses, the whole shebang. I thought that was a tad weird, but at this point I just gave in, like, "meh, why not?" At least they managed to have some fun before the apocalypse.

And that's kind of where the book took a downturn. The apocalypse scene itself was just a little off, causing my eyebrows to knit together in complexity, like it couldn't be right. A sneak peek of it: the sky explodes. Yeah. Explodes. Harsh, much? That's just part of it, so don't get mad about spoilers or whatever. I'm trying to help you here.

When the book finally ended, I repeatedly blinked at the last page and flipped around, thinking I missed something. I couldn't help but utter, "That's it?"
Yeah, folks, that's it. It leaves off in a weird spot, just leaving the reader floundering for more explanations about what the heck happened to the world. Way to go, Patterson, you've officially pissed me off.

I did like the romance scenes between Max and Fang, though, so that's a plus. Figured I should leave this review off on a good note.

Stay thirsty, my friends
- Julia

Truly, Madly (Lucy Valentine #1) by Heather Webber

Blurb: Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and so notqualified to run a matchmaking service. But when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it’s Lucy’s turn to step up and help out—in the name of love.

Plus, her rent is due.

Here’s the problem: Lucy doesn’t have the knack for matchmaking. According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read “auras” and pair up perfect couples. But not Lucy. Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects. What good is that in the matchmaking world? You’d be surprised. In a city like Boston, everyone’s looking forsomething. So when Lucy locates a missing wedding ring—on a dead body—she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she’ll find the perfect lovewhile she’s at it…

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Ok so this book (and the rest of the series) was to die for! It was humorous, with a great array of characters, and lots of good romance! Lucy Valentine is forced to take over her father's matchmaking business at the start of the book due to a scandalous picture of her dad in a newspaper, despite the fact that she lost her gift for matchmaking in a freak lightening storm when she was 14. With the lightening strike though, Lucy did gain a gift: the gift of being able to find anything a person is missing simply by touching their palm. Her first case as new head of Valentine Ink is actually what starts off a set of events that promise to test Lucy's unwanted ability.
Michael Unknown Last Name comes in looking for love and in the process spills the story about his first love Jennifer who disappeared 7 years earlier after she thought Michael had cheated on her. He also tells Lucy that Jen's engagement ring from him was lost when she left. As Michael goes to leave Lucy, without thinking, shakes his hand and sees a glimpse of the ring Michael has lost... on the finger of a corpse! Is Jen dead!? Well, to get the help she needs to solve this murder/mystery she enlists the help of Sean Donahue, the PI who works in the office about Lucy's. Together they work to bring justice to Jennifer, who might not even be dead. In the course of the investigation there are some serious twists that keep you hanging on as well as a great budding romance between Lucy and Sean. The ending will totally surprise you, I promise!


-Madison :)

<3 Lucy and Sean :D Such a cute couple! And <3 to Lucy's Grandma who is hysterical, crazy, and my favorite character next to Lucy! 

The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher

Blurb (as from Goodreads.com): I'm Adrienne Haus, survivor of a mother-daughter book club. Most of us didn't want to join. My mother signed me up because I was stuck at home all summer, with my knee in a brace. CeeCee's parents forced her to join after cancelling her Paris trip because she bashed up their car. The members of "The Unbearable Book Club," CeeCee, Jill, Wallis, and I, were all going into eleventh grade A.P. English. But we weren't friends. We were literary prisoners, sweating, reading classics, and hanging out at the pool. If you want to find out how membership in a book club can end up with a person being dead, you can probably look us up under mother-daughter literary catastrophe. Or open this book and read my essay, which I'll turn in when I go back to school.
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The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls. Wow what a mouthful of a title! This is the story of four young teens and their forced drafting into the Unbearable Book Club. Adrienne Haus, our slightly depressed and very insightful (but only because she's bored) main character, is not in the least thrilled to be co-heading a mother daughter book this summer when she could have been enjoying the outside on a wilderness adventure camp with her BFF Liz. Instead due to an accident she's stuck at home or at the pool (when she can get a ride that is...) being forced to spend time with spoiled and rebellious CeeCee, a stuck up and extremely paranoid Jill, and a weird and secretive Wallis. 

Not one of these four, except for Wallis, wants to be here. CeeCee could have been living it up in Paris. That is before she took a little joy ride in her parents car... And Jill was forced both into working for the summer and joining this Unbearable Book Club. Wallis... Lets just says she's a mystery for now. 

We watch as each of the books Adrienne reads relate to her everyday life as she makes new friends, does crazy and stupid things in the middle of the night, and spends all of her spare time at the community pool. 

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, a young poor spanish girl, and a locked up depressed woman, each influence Adrienne and her friends as they make their way through a sure to be horrific summer. But maybe, just maybe they might have a little more fun then they thought.

Madison! 

**PS: Sorry for being gone soooo long! I happen to be very lazy, but I knew Julia was getting a little aggravated... Hopefully you enjoy this book should you chose to read it! Glad to be back! Should be posting again in a few days! (But don't hold me too it or you might get disappointed...) 

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

4.6 out of 5

Two amazing books in a row on this blog? We're on a roll!

I originally picked this at a quaint bookshop looking for something easy on the plane ride home. I didn't expect to get so hooked!

There have been forty years of peace between humans and dragons in the country of Gorredd. In this world, dragons can take on the form of a human, and these forms are called saarantrai. High titles in courts and army positions are held by dragons because, big surprise, they're better than humans in tactics and war. But a lot of people still don't like the dragons, feeling that they are among impostors who will stab them in the back at any minute. And little do the people know that an imminent war is brewing...

Seraphina, age sixteen, is born among two worlds; each seeing her as an abomination. She is half dragon. Keeping her lineage a secret, she conceals her scales that spread up her forearms and around her waist. It's not easy, though, for many reasons. Seraphina is an awesome protagonist to read about. She's not whiny, and you do not want to get into an argument with her - dragon's blood and your dad being a human lawyer means instant win. Also, she's funny, which can be hard to be in a formal setting book like this. I give the author major kudos for that. There's plenty of laugh-out-loud comedy strung throughout this book.

My favorite character in this is definitely Orma, Phina's uncle - a dragon. In their natural form, dragons are cold, calculating, and stoic. But when in their saarantrai, they begin to develop human emotions, which is a very bad thing in their eyes. In fact, too much emotion can lead to a dragon's arrest and memory excision. Orma finds some ways around it, though, as he raises Seraphina. The relationship between them is great, the way they tease each other. Orma can be really funny without realizing it, especially when he's learning what to do with his new emotions. Seraphina is constantly berated by his outlandish questions. And a good example of a scene is when Orma accentuates every other word as he speaks, and Phina is just sitting there, thinking "Ladies and gentlemen, the first ever attempt of a dragon being sarcastic."

Ah, one thing I feel I should inform you about. Seraphina has visions when she is young, most often of specific people she doesn't know. To keep the visions from overrunning her, she establishes a little mental thing to keep track of them all. My initial response to this was, "Okay... so she's a tad schizo." Not the case. You will find out the purpose of the people that she calls her "grotesques". Give it time, the story behind it is quite awesome ;)

All of the characters in this are so lifelike. Glissenda, Viridius, Prince Lucian, Lars, Abdo (Oh, Abdo!), Orma, Phina, each of them have their own story and I wanted to know more and more. And I find the names to be really cool, though the girl names are rather tedious. There's even a scene where they make fun of that between Glissenda and Phina. Everything that I've mentioned up to now in this post is just the preamble to the story, I haven't even reached the actual plot yet. And I'm not going to, because it's purely fascinating and touching that I want you readers to discover it for yourselves. Hate me if you will, (Ouch! Who threw that??) but it's worth it.

Another thing that's cool about this is the religion of the characters. The humans worship an array of Saints, all having different patron(esses). Each of the Saints have their own domain - truth, death, the conscience mind, etc. And there are these things called the Golden Plays where actors perform the tales behind the Saint, and I really wanted to see them!

Overall, this book is beautifully written. Everything came together perfectly. One thing about the author's style - she loves cliffhangers. At the end of a chapter, she would have you dangling off a cliffside by a rope, your heartbeat going a mile a minute, then only to find out on the next page that you're only a foot drop from the ground. It's a cheap trick, and an author has to have guts to try and pull that off without angering the readers, but I feel that Hartman did it just right. Exciting, magical, funny, heartwarming, fist pumping; these all describe this story. (I admit, when a certain character showed up in a battle scene, I did do a Freddie Mercury pose. I have no regrets.)

I want to tell so much more about this book, but I fear for spoiling things unintentionally. There's just something tucked away in every nook and cranny that fills one with wonderment, and you'll just have to read for yourselves.

Imagine my glee when I found out that a sequel will be out next year! I'm not going to spoil what it's about, but I do hope that we get to find out more about Jannoula. From what has been told, she's crazy!

Ta-ta for now,
Julia