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…

____________________________________________________

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.
********************************************************************************

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

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

 Wow. Just, wow. It has been a long time since I've read a book that was this good and well written.
Everything about this book was purely magical. It gave me a dark, whimsical feeling lingering in the back of my head, and I loved it. I loved how it kept me thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. And the writing style was nearly perfect. The choice of dialect played such a big role, it gives the reader an inside look to what the character's can't see, like you get a peek behind the curtain.

Magic is real, and to those who have mastered it, it all depends on how you use it. Two magicians choose students to participate in a game of sorts. Now this isn't a game like fiery dodgeball or who can hover the longest. The game itself is a bit of a mystery, and I'm still not a hundred percent sure how it was meant to be played, I just know how one would win. Alexander, or more commonly known as the man in the grey suit, chose a boy from an orphanage, who later takes the name as Marco. Prospero the Enchanter, who uses real magic and stages it as illusions, undertakes his own daughter, Celia. The two children are trained in polar opposite ways. Marco was in a room for nearly his whole childhood, with loads of books, and Celia was put under pressure to use her magic, with her dad being a psycho. (Example: He slits her fingertips and she has to use healing magic. Ouch.)

Marco later takes an assistant job to a man named Chandresh. Chandresh is a man who loves projects, and he spends quite a while on some. His latest dream in hand: a circus. Not just any circus - the most amazing circus to ever cross a person's imagination. Dear god, I want to go to this circus.

At intervals in the book, there are some pages where it's written from your point of view, leading you through a few choice tents of the Cirque de Reves and helping you visualize how awesome it truly is. Some of these tents are just purely amazing, like how does one even think of these? The Ice Garden, the Cloud Maze, the Pool of Tears, the Wishing Tree, and so so so much more that I can't even describe. Widget's tent where he kept his stories? Oh, man I would love to visit that. To everyone, the Cirque is a place of fun and mystery, except for Celia and Marco. To them, it's a gameboard.

So anyway, the circus is built as becomes well-known everywhere. It travels like magic, and that may or may not be related to Celia working as the illusionist (hmm...). There are people who follow the circus wherever the go, and these people are known as reveurs. You'll learn more about how the group came about, and their story is actually pretty cool. I could totally be a reveur, I'd just have to keep reminding myself that it is not a cult-like thing. Because honestly, sometimes it comes across that way in my thoughts...

Every character in this was described well, and I especially loved the Murray twins. There is a sense of deep connection between everyone, and it's kind of like a big, twisted family. Not so surprising, Celia and Marco form a relationship kind of (not spoiling much). And to me, it came on kind of sudden. My reaction was kind of "well that escalated quickly", but then I realize that they've been working on this circus for around twenty years. They're old! I mean, they don't look it for some complicated, magical reason, but dang they're old...

There are two stories within different time periods in this book. There's a story about a kid named Bailey in 1902, and the story about those within the circus that goes on through the years. With each chapter you read you get a little more excited as the date increases, knowing that the stories will intertwine. And they do. And it is quite good.

I feel like I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of this book, but I have to hold back and let you guys find out for yourselves. Oh, and make sure you read to the very end. There's a thing where you learn about how the story itself is told, and I'm just like "Eeeee! That was awesome." This really is a book I could reread.

Not sure if this is necessary to say, but 5 stars out of 5.

Go ahead and comment if anyone else would be a reveur at heart.

Ciao!
- Julia :)

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan

A while back, when this blog was still young, I did a review for the first of the Twisted Fairytale series, Cinderella: Ninja Warrior. Well, this is the sequel to it. It's designed the same way as the previous one, where you get to choose the decisions the characters make.

Look out, Buffy, there's a new Slayer in town. And it's... Sleeping Beauty? 0_o

Princess Lucette of Xandria was given a meeting among kingdoms in her honor when she was born. Her name was chosen by the Faerie Queen, to her mother's distaste. I get that the queen was young and didn't know a lot about politics, but man, she was kind of a b*tch... To show that, the queen of the vampires shows up to the party, angry that she wasn't invited by the queen of Xandria, who is extremely racist against vampires. As punishment, she takes it out on Lucette and curses her. Once Lucette is sixteen, and if she ever pricks her finger on anything, the entire kingdom of Xandria will be affected.

After that escapade, Lucette grows up to be sheltered. And I mean sheltered - like, she can't even open a door and can only write with crayons, even with gloves on. Her dad wants her to be protected from everything, while her mom wants her to have some freedom in life, and this throws some turmoil into the family. Lucette isn't told about the curse until she's older, which I thought was odd that they didn't inform her sooner. And here is where the choices the reader makes can come into play.
The choices in this book are pretty substantial. While in Cinderella the choices were more of which path, right or left, this book takes a more emotional toll on the character (i.e, choose between mom and dad). I thought that was a nice touch.

Eventually, likely no matter what choices you make, Lucette does wind up pricking her finger. The impact of the curse is that Lucette falls into a deep sleeping during the day, only to wake at night and be alone (minus the vampires out to kill her), while the entire kingdom is sleeping at night. Lucette does wind up making a friend in Alex, a vampire, who agrees to help her.

The one thing that irked me in this story was the romance. You have Alex, who is really nice, although can be aggressive, and you have Tristan, who trained Lucette to be a Slayer as a child. I didn't like Tristan. At all. In fact, I chose the option in the story where you got to send him away because I wanted her to be with Alex, but nooo, Tristan comes back like a stubborn itch. Here's my feelings on it:

(That's right, Wickedreaders has comics. What now??)

All in all, this was an enjoyable and easy read. I think I may have liked the Cinderella story better, but this book definitely gets near a 4-star rating.

Ta ta for now!
- Julia :)

Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders #2) by Brandon Mull

Kids, there comes a time in every avid reader's life where you just come to a book that you just can't finish a book. This just happened to me. (And if you got that tv reference, thank you.)
Brandon Mull, what are you doing?? The Fablehaven series was so amazing, but this? This is not amazing.

The first Beyonders wasn't great, but I thought, "Come on, it's Brandon Mull, so it's gotta be good." And it wasn't terrible, per se, but it certainly wasn't Fablehaven. I'm not going to give much description to the first one but here's the low down so you'll understand this review: this kid gets eaten by a hippo and is transported to an alternate world of magic, where he and this girl from Earth have to find the six syllables to this power word to defeat the big bad guy. Now tell me that doesn't sound far-fetched? Critisims aside though, I did enjoy the part with the Word, and it'll always be there in my head. Arimfexendrapus.


So now, onto the Seeds of Rebellion. Whereas book one had a touch of Brandon Mull's writing style in the characters, book two was like he wrote each person and scenario while he was asleep. Jason, the main character, didn't have much of a spark in the first place... I'll stop sugarcoating, he's a wuss. He never had much going for him on Earth, so I don't know why he and Rachel are so keen on going back. A world of magic versus a lonely life getting hit by baseballs. Hmm, decisions...

All of the characters in this kind of pissed me off. They all talked in the exact same way. Like they all had the same thoughts, but the words came out of varied mouths. You have a guy who can deattatch limbs, a charm woman, a half- giant, a blind king, a hermit, and a guy who has a seed in the nape of his neck that can regrow himself if he dies (though Drake's is defective). You'd think that with a variety of characters like that, someone might have a quirk or crack a joke, but noooo, they're too cool for that.

Well, all in all, the book sucked. I hope that was enough explanation as to why, and that you guys will either avoid reading it, or write your own mean reviews. If you want to read good fantasy with a fun flair, read the Fablehaven series, also by Brandon Mull.

Bye!
Julia :)

Slumber by Samantha Young

4.8 stars out of 5

Slumber can be loosely described as Sleeping Beauty with a twist, and I mean it when I say loosely. Princess Hayden is cursed into a deep slumber, on the brink of death. But this tale doesn't revolve around her. No, this is about her "White Knight" as the preview describes", Rogan - Hayden's best friend - who volunteers to go out into the world and find the herb that the princess needs to awaken.

Now from that scenario, what gender do you expect Rogan to be? Am I the only one who thought she was a 'he'?. By the title of "White Knight", I expected Rogan to be a guy. (I mean, the name is pretty gender-neutral). And when the preview talked about the romantic interest as being the "White Knight's White Knight", I thought, "Oh, a gay protagonist? That's new! Should be interes... Ohhh....."
Yeah, not my brightest moment.

Anyways, Rogan is an awesome heroine. In fact, she's probably in the top few of most kick-ass heroines in any book I've read, combating close with Katsa from Graceling. She's stubborn, moral, funny, and poweful, being an Azyl (I'll get to describing those later). She could be a little indecisive at times, but everyone's got flaws, I guess. Rogan was written so well, you could feel the emotional toll that rolled off of her words and actions. This is the kind of character that I strive to write about in my own books, but dang it'd hard to compete with her!

And then there's Wolfe. He is the son of the book's big bad guy, Stovia. But the fruit falls far, far from the tree in this book, as Wolfe is captain of the guard and swears to protect Rogan, whom he has known for years. This guy is an awesome badass. Not like "douchy" badass, but a "get an icy glare from me and you'll want to run away screaming" badass.

The adventure in this book is so appealing, you just want to be there and experience it with the characters. There's light hearted moments, suspenseful drama between friends, and heart-wrenching tragedy. I got so into it, taking in everything. It was just so amazing!!

There's great story-building in this book, with all of the conflicts between the different groups and people with powers. Here's a quick run down: Dravilec - Healers; Dyvatzi - keeps everyone calm (the royal family); Azyl - seekers, can find anything; and Glava - elemental wizards.

I actually had to do a quick search through the internet to recall some minor things in this book, since it's been quite a while since I read it, so pardon if I happen to leave things out. But the characterization and the settings and the drama were so amazing that I could recall those parts very clearly, like they're impacted on my brain. There's just a kind of tingly feeling you get when you finish it, you have to close the covers with a smile. Plus, how awesome is that cover art??

And for anyone who has already read the book and completely agrees with me on how awesome it was, the second book in the series is out! It's from a different character's point of view - El - and the series is called Fade. Check it out!

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Until the next review, bye!
- Julia :)

Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

So if there are any fans of the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, I feel that you should be warned: it is NOTHING like the Iron Fey. Still amazing, still heart-wrenchingly good, but no faeries or glimmer or magic. Just blood and vampires.

Allison Sekemoto lives in the Fringe, the outer parts of the vampire city where the Unregistereds reside. If you're Unregistered, then you don't get any basic privileges that those in the city get like water or food. It's easy to become Registered, but Ali would rather die than become the vampire Prince Salazar's blood slave like the poor suckers in the city. So she lives the Fringer life; scavenging food wherever you can, and saving your own skin in the face of infected Rabids. It's a fleeting life where you can't get attached to anything, and Allison is accustomed to it while she lived in her little guild.

Until a pack of Rabids gets to her and her friends, leaving her the sole survivor. Though she's beaten badly, a vampire comes and gives her a choice - become a vampire and live another day, or die. When given a choice like that, naturally she'd pick the vampire.

She lives with Kanin, her vampire sire, and he teaches her the tricks of the trade to being a vampire, which is actually pretty cool. Then again, I'm fine as long as the vamps don't sparkle... They do cry blood though, which likely doesn't look very attractive. Eventually, for reasons I'm not at liberty to say in fear of spoilers, Allison has to part ways with Kanin, hoping to see him again. Kanin is the only one she can relate to about being such a monster. She sticks to the shadows, hiding away from anyone she's a danger to, and runs. Except in about a week she runs into her worst fear - she gets hungry.

And so, she runs into a ragtag group of humans who claim to be searching for a promise land called Eden, where no vampires are allows and no Rabids can get in. And in this group is ZEKE! I love Zeke, like a lot. He's sweet, strong, really funny, and determined. He takes really good care of Caleb and Bethany, and puts up with Ruth's b*tchiness. Whenever a painstaking moment occurred between Allison and the group, in my head I screamed Go to him. Run, Ali, RUN. ...I never learn that, in fact, the characters cannot hear me, nor will they ever, unless the future holds some kickbutt aurally interactive books.

Hands down, this book deserves 5 stars. I laughed, cried, and got totally absorbed. I went into Carmax to get a car with my mom, and I was halfway through when entering. I left just after reading the last sentence, an accomplished yet yearning feeling in my heart. This proves two things: I can read fast when I want to, and that the people in Carmax are SLOW.
I kind of wanted to see more of Lucas in the book, but I guess that would have just made things complicated if he stuck around (you'll see what I mean).

Have fun reading this, guys! It's a good one! Oh, and there's a little blurb in the back with a teaser for the next installment of the Iron Fey from Ethan's POV.
Cheers,
Julia

The Knight and Rogue Series, and an Announcement

All right guys. As you may have noticed, this site has been rather sparse of reviews lately. Why is that? Not because we're too busy (though we have had work up the wazoo), and not because we're plain lazy. It's because we've hit a major dry spell of good books. So, to resolve this dilemma, from now on we're not going to post reviews of only 5 star books, but whatever we happen to be reading every week. This should also give some insight to you readers as to what NOT to read, hopefully. :)


Now then, on with this week's review!
I will be talking about not one, not two, but THREE books: The Knight and Rogue series by Hilari Bell. The books in this series are The Last Knight, Rogue's Home, and Player's Ruse. These young adult novels are pure adventure, fantasy, and fun. Lighthearted comedy sprinkled over mysteries and friendships that are put to the test.



Book one begins with Michael, a Knight errant, and Fisk, his "humble" squire, helping a certain damsel in distress escape her captors. One thing they find out as soon as she escapes, is that she was locked up for a good reason - she was arrested for the murder of her husband! They let a freaking criminal go free! And so, our story begins. To shed some light, a knight errant is what you'd imagine the classic knight in shining armor to be: a kind hearted hero who goes around doing good deeds and heroic rescues, but there hasn't been one in over a century. So when Sir Michael chooses this profession, it's easy to see why skeptic heads would turn. Knight in shining armor? Try a noble lunatic coated in mud after his first "rescue" makes her mad dash away from the police. When he first started out as an errant, he decided he needed a squire, as all did. Luckily, he walks by a town's local court meeting to see Fisk, a nimble, sharp tongued bandit, in line to be punished for his many crimes. Michael takes pity on the guy, since they're not so different in age and Fisk had an innocent spark to his eyes. Fisk begrudgingly agrees to the deal, and as he is forever suspicious, he is itching for the moment when he can run away from the crazy "errant". Now this match made in hell have to go and find Lady Ceciel, the woman who had run off, or else Michael's errantry days are over. The growing bond between them is put under stress when they realize they had bitten off more that they can chew.

Book two gives us more insight about Fisk, and we get to meet his family. Fisk is called home by his eldest sister, Annie, with a letter stating that her husband, Max, has been framed for a crime he didn't commit. With Fisk's criminal past, she thought he may be able to help. As a side note: It took me a while to realize that Fisk is the squire's last name, and once you learn his real name, you can't blame him for going by his last. (Hint: His sisters nicknamed him "Nonny") While Fisk is nervous to go see his family after about five years, Michael worries that he may be more of a burden than a help to his partner with his newly received social status. It's not easy being chased out of every town you step into by an angry mob, and you'll see why once you read. (Just building suspense ^_^) Michael and Fisk are faced with a mystery on their hands, and the enemy might be closer than they think.
Fisk: "I still think it's Judith..." >_>'

Book three, and the regrettably last book of the series, just makes me feel even worse for Michael. This guy is worse than "Bad Luck Brian" (though only some of you will know that reference). In this book, Michael and Fisk run into Michael's childhood love, Rosamund. Really, this dude has it bad, and he seems to be friendzoned to the max. Because what does she ask them to do? Escort her to the group of traveling players her lover works with in a town threatened by ship wreckers. Ouch. Poor, noble Michael. Not that he lets it dishearten him much, because even though he's unredeemed AND shut down, he's still the classic do-gooder knight errant, spreading good deeds and idiotic plans that nearly kills the group of them all under the two moons. Especially when it involves trying to summon a Savant by wrecking nearly half the forest. (Slight exaggeration there, but you'll see what I mean ;)
And Fisk? He's just sitting by, waiting for the time when he has to drag Michael's butt out of trouble. Despite his hate of dogs, Fisk seems to be on a love-hate to the brink of death relationship with Trouble, their newly adopted mute guard dog from book two. Fisk also seems to have formed an addiction to admittedly crappy jokes, mainly along the lines of "What's the difference between a _______ and a bandit?" This guy has enough of those jokes to fill up a bank, and it gets on everyone's (ahem, Michael's) nerves. Oh, and in this installment you also get to meet the infamous character who trained Fisk. (Can you say "nutjob"?)

This trilogy has so many things to love about it, especially the array of characters. True, most are static without much change, but their qualities that they do show just make them all the more special. I'm really sad this series is over. There was still potential for more at the end of book three! I want more. Do you hear me, Hilari Bell? I don't care if you milk this like all of the other greedy authors I love have done.

Well, on that note, Peace out!
- Julia ;)

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

It's official. Maria V. Snyder has filled in the slot of my number one favorite author. (Sorry Derek Landy, but you had a good run as #1) I first fell in love with this woman's writing upon reading Poison Study, then I fell deeper in love when reading Inside Out and Outside In. Now this just takes the cake.

Avry of Kazan is a special type of magician called a Healer, and is the last of her kind. You'd think that people would find Healers helpful, and try to prevent them from dying, right? Nope. The common people of the very towns they healed killed them, all because a rumor had started that the Healers were the ones to spread a dreadful Plague across the Fifteen Realms. Avry has been on the run for nearly three years, abandoning her possessions, her identity, and knowledge of the whereabouts of what's left of her family. She moves from town to town, usually leaving after healing a sick townsperson. One day, she gets reported, and gets sent to prison. While thinking of her execution, she is rescued by a group of men in need of her healing expertise. There's Loren and Quain, the monkeys (It took me a little while to realize when someone mentioned the monkey, they meant these guys), Flea, a young boy from the streets, Belen, or as Avry calls him "Poppa Bear", and Kerrick, who is anything but the classic knight in shining armor. Kerrick's friend is in need of help, for he has contracted the Plague, and for once in her life, after finding out who said friend is, Avry refuses to help. Thus, sparking the mutual animosity towards each other. As she travels along with the ragtag group, and after being on her own for so long, she starts to think of them as her family. But even the closest family has its problems, especially when they revolve around trying to get to the Plague victim before a psychotic, homicidal king does.

The story of Touch of Power has a lot of the same elements to Poison Study: magic is looked down upon, and it revolves around a strong, independent heroine. This book is written in an old-fashiony, fantasy setting, but it uses modern language and themes. Only Snyder can pull that off. In the beginning, the story goes at a casual, airy pace, and so I thought "Oh, this is nice. Just steadily going along, perfect!" But then it played a trick on my mind. Before I could realize, the drama just built up and up and up until I was at the peak of a mountain of conflicts, and the only thing to snap me out of it was my knuckles hurting from clutching the pages.

So many things to love about this story. Watching the romance between Avry and Kerrick unfurl from a diminutive bud to a beautiful blossom was enchanting. In other words: It was sooooooo sweet!! And I loved the concept of the Death and Peace Lilies. The first time they were brought up, I thought that it was a neat idea, but I didn't think they would keep popping up in the conversations and plot. Soon, the flowers that had been a cool and simple idea became shrouded in mystery. I found it a wee bit confusing to keep up with, but I quickly found my way back on track, and by the end I was nearly crying.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, thrilling fantasy, and a soft spot for sweet romance. I'm excited to get to read the next one soon!
Oh, and any fans of this book should check out the Maria V. Snyder books I listed up above. Just FYI.

I bid farewell to you all,
Julia

City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5)

Hey everyone! Guess what?! Mortal Instruments book 5 is coming out in a few months! So excited! Anyway obviously this isn't a review seeing as how the book hasn't come out and I'm not really important enough to rate an ARC (if there even are any available yet). Instead I'm just letting everyone know that at the link below there is an excerpt for City of Lost Souls. Enjoy!

http://www.mortalinstruments.com/excerpt-souls.php

-Madison :D