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 ;)