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Saturday, December 31, 2011

The Sweet Far Thing

IT HAS BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a
laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.

The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.





I can give you my firm assurance that I did not cry.  I hugged the book and lay on my bed, dry-sobbing, for about a minute.
That is all I have to say about this book.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Top 11 Books of 2011

Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since I posted.  I've been away at USY International Convention in Philly, and there was a) No laptops allowed and b) No time to read.  But I'm back now!  Just in time to tell you my favorite books of 2011.

**Disclaimer: I am not listing my favorite books that came out in 2011, I'm listing my favorite books that I read in 2011.


11. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

10.  Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

9. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

8.  The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

6. Looking for Alaska by John Green

5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

4. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

2. Paper Towns by John Green

1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak


These were my favorite reads of 2011.  It was hard to choose, because I've read a ton of awesome books this year. Getting me to choose a certain amount of favorites is like telling an elephant to step lightly.

What were your 2011 favorites?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

"Waiting on Wednesday"  is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's WoW is . . .



Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Everything is in ruins.
A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.
So what does Araby Worth have to live for?
Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.
But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.
And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

I want you to take a moment and look at that cover.  

Take a few moments, even. Just . . . just look at it.

Then take another few moments and read that pitch.

Repeat.

That's what I've been doing.

This book has gotten rave reviews and I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO READ IT.  Unfortunately, April is laughing in my face at the moment.  I will be patient. I will be patient. I will be patient.

What's your WoW this week? Feel free to link in the comments.


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Teaser Tuesday (6)

Teaser Tuesday, a meme hosted by Should Be Reading is really easy and fun to participate in. All you have to do is:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

The pretty lady who led me here takes the box away and returns to the stage, where the illusionist places her into a trance.  He takes hold of a large slate, and with a piece of chalk in both  hands, the lady writes upon it as if possessed: We are betrayed.  She is a deceiver.  The Tree of All Souls lives.  The key holds the truth.

Reading this book is making me ridiculously nervous because I already know what happens and I'm really, really, really, really, really dreading it.  Also, whenever things start to go well in books I get nervous because I'm positive something bad is going to happen.

What're you reading this Tuesday? Feel free to link in the comments.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Rebel Angels

Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain. . . . 

The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship. 

But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.






So this book is pretty much the perfect holiday read.


Also, before I begin, a brief complaint: the quote on the cover. "Fans of the author's first novel will remain enthralled."  I'm sorry, but who was dumb enough to make THAT the quote on the cover?  This is a really fantastic book but all they can say is that if you liked A Great and Terrible Beauty, they'll like this? Sigh, Publishers. Sigh.


Anyways.


I really liked A Great and Terrible Beauty.  It was something very different and intriguing and beautiful.  But I feel like Rebel Angels takes it to a different level.  A far more complex one, one with a plot that truly shines and characters that are as multi-faceted as real human beings.


This book is 548 pages long. It is a rather hefty novel.  But I was never once bored, because there's always something interesting happening. The tricky thing about Libba Bray is that even when you THINK nothing is happening, it's always relevant.  In this book, we get to explore much more of the realms and the creatures within them, and there is a much greater sense of urgency, because the plot is introduced early on.  While the plot was complex and full of action, I think what really lent it its power was the twists Libba threw at us.  I will say that I DID guess the huge twist, but it's not something that's overwhelmingly obvious. It was just a good guess.  Libba Bray is excellent at throwing curve balls our way, and we don't even realize till they hit us that we should've seen them coming. One of my favorites was the one with Felicity. That was excellent.


The characters from A Great and Terrible Beauty were already complicated and flawed and real, but in Rebel Angels, they just become something . . . more.  I ached for them.  I loved them. I hated them.  I grew annoyed with them. I wished for them.  None of these characters are anything close to perfect and none of them should be, but they are beautiful and human and real.  The scene where Gemma teaches Kartik how to dance had me smiling like an idiot.  Also, um, Kartik? I liked him in AGTB, but now?  LOVE. He has officially achieved fictional crush status.


I really love the closure Libba Bray gives these books.  She doesn't leave off on a cruel cliffhanger just to force you into buying the next one.  She closes them very introspectively and peacefully, so that you can set the book down and just smile.  While this is obviously part of a trilogy, it has enough plot and closure to stand alone.  And I think that's brilliant.


I am so afraid to read The Sweet Far Thing, guys. So, so afraid.


5 stars.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

"Waiting on Wednesday"  is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's WoW is . . .



The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.  When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love.  When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead.  His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.


This book has been getting a LOT of rave reviews, but more importantly--the summary? Well, for one, Daughter left me with a fondness for Prague, but for another . . . that just sounds really, really cool.  I definitely can't say I've ever read anything like it. Plus, how fabulous is that cover?  Do you see the castle in her eye? So gorgeous.


If only it were April already.


What's your WoW this week? Feel free to post links in the comments.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Teaser Tuesday (5)

Teaser Tuesday, a meme hosted by Should Be Reading is really easy and fun to participate in. All you have to do is:



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

It is only after an hour has passed and I am safe in my own bed that I can give a name to the look on Pippa's face as she stared at the thing she'd killed.


Hunger.


Haven't gotten too far in this one yet, but I'm excited to read on! I've heard many say that this is the best of the series, and I really enjoyed A Great and Terrible Beauty. 


What're  you reading this Tuesday? Feel free to share links and I'll check them out.

Monday, December 12, 2011

A Great and Terrible Beauty

A British girl uncovers the mystery of her mother's death -- and discovers powers she never knew she possessed -- in this engrossing, imaginative Victorian-era novel by Libba Bray.
Two months after her mother's sudden and puzzling suicide, Gemma Doyle travels from India, where she was raised, to England for her new life at an all-girls preparatory school. At Spence Academy, Gemma feels dispirited by the stringent etiquette and her classmates' cruel pecking order, but she finds herself befriended by a group of girls with aspirations of being more than "proper ladies." Aside from school troubles, Gemma is also preoccupied with nightmarish visions, and following her discovery of a long-lost diary that describes "the Order," she learns that she has supernatural abilities that link her to the spirit world, her mother, and an evil force that wants to usurp Gemma's powers. And it's almost too late before Gemma realizes that she holds the key to her own and her friends' destinies.

So, I've wanted to read this series for quite a while, for two main reasons.  One, it's by Libba Bray, and I absolutely loved Going Bovine.  And two, it came highly recommended (Okay, so that was mainly Michelle, but there WERE a lot of other people who said they'd read and loved it).  Having finished it, I'll just say I'm glad I own the next two books.  Although I am somewhat apprehensive, because I know, er, certain things that happen in the last one.
But back to A Great and Terrible Beauty.
Something I've seen in a lot of reviews of this, something that crops up as a main complaint in many, is that the girls are petty, that their "friendship" is laughable.  This makes me scratch my head a bit, because . . . isn't that the whole point?
They are sixteen and seventeen year old girls.  They are not saints.  They are impulsive and rebellious and curious and cruel.  They formed friendships based off need and secrets, and slowly, over time, grew to see more than just secrets binding them together, grew to have some compassion for one another.  But no one fools themselves into thinking they are the best of friends.  Their relationships, formed and kept alive by shared secrets, are tenuous at best, and easily broken.  Libba Bray was not trying to make them out as ideal companions for one another.  She was not trying to make them perfect.
And I, personally, loved the characters.  I loved that, though they were deeply flawed, they each had those moments where they shone, where you wanted to reach through the book and give them a hug or just laugh alongside them.  The four girls, the others at Spence, Ms. Nightwing, Brigid, Tom, Mother Elena, Miss Moore, Gemma's mother--every character in this novel was a real person, with lives and pasts and feelings and flaws and everything that makes us human.  They brought this novel to life.
But it wasn't just the characters. It was the writing.  Libba Bray's writing . . . is fantastic.  It is completely and utterly fantastic.  It is not one that is gorgeous in the way of Laini Taylor's or Maggie Stiefvater's, not one that makes readers ooh and ahh over every paragraph.  But what is so brilliant about it is that Libba Bray can paint a picture.  More than that, Libba Bray can paint a world, and then she can add a dash of detail here, another there, until it is no longer a painting but a moving thing before you and you can hear every word that is spoken (accent and all), see every little action as it is described, every room and every tree and every creature.  Her talent for pulling me into this world was honestly incredible.
Perhaps my favorite thing about A Great and Terrible Beauty was the main theme it explored, that of power and what it can do to you and how it can be dealt with.  Quite simple, it explores the great and terrible beauty of it.  How power can be so marvelous and so hideous, beautiful and awful, great and terrible.  I loved seeing how these girls dealt with it, how it changed them.
You're probably wondering at this point why I gave it four stars after all this gushing. Well, I'll try to summarize my main reasons for docking a star in this paragraph.  For one, I was still a bit too confused at the end of this book.  I do realize there are two other (rather large) books in this trilogy and that there were probably be quite a bit more elaborating in them, but by the end of this I was still a little bit puzzled regarding the realms and the Order and, most of all, the Rakshana.  I feel like I know almost nothing about them.  I'm sure these will be explored more, but I wish we'd gotten a bit more in this book.  And for another . . . I'm not quite sure how to express this properly.  It seemed like there would be these jumps from one scene to another and I would have no idea how the one character had managed to get where they are now and how much time had passed and it left me a little bit disoriented.  I just wish those gaps had been bridged a little more smoothly.
Minor complaints aside, A Great and Terrible Beauty was a really excellent read.  Onto Rebel Angels!
4 stars.


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday (3)

 "Waiting on Wednesday"  is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's WoW is . . . 




Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being 
bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen 
angels in Sweet Evil

Anna, a tender-hearted southern girl, was born with the sixth 
sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of 
a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, 
but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring 
Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her 
will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned 
you about. If only someone had warned Anna. 

A cross-country trip forces Anna and Kai to face the reality 
that hope and love are not options for their kind. When it's 
time for Anna to confront her demons, will she choose to embrace 
her halo or her horns?



I don't know about you,  but to me, that summary  just screams awesome.    Even if it wasn't from inkpop and Wendy wasn't a sweetie  I would still want to read it.  Plus, the cover. How gorgeous is that?


I need an ARC of this ASAP.


How about you? What's your WoW this week?

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Teaser Tuesday (4)

Teaser Tuesday, a meme hosted by Should Be Reading is really easy and fun to participate in. All you have to do is:



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

She nods and goes back to combing her filthy fingers through the doll's hair.  "She's looking for you."
"Who?"
"Mary."
"Mary? Mary who?"
"She sent me to find you.  But we have to be careful. It's looking for you, too."


Liking this a lot so far. Very creepy, and very good descriptions.  I'm not very far in yet.

What's your Tuesday read?

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Crossed

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.
Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.


I want to eloquently explain how I felt about this book, but frankly, all I can really say is that it was a hot mess.  There were some good parts to it, but overall, next to nothing happened, the characters are as flat as ever, and the world-building is so poor that it makes me want to cry. This is a dystopian, woman.

I'm still going to read the third one because I want to know what happens so I can have some closure. And hey, you know what would be crazy? If Condie finally explained who the fuck "the Enemy" is.

Two stars.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesday, a meme hosted by Should Be Reading is really easy and fun to participate in. All you have to do is:



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 Crossed by Ally Condie

We run forever. I say the words from the poem over and over to the beat of my feet. It almost sounds like someone else's voice. I don't know where I find the air and I keep getting the words wrong: From out our bourne of death and space the flood will wash me far but it doesn't even matter. I never knew that words might not matter.


"Are you saying that for us?" the boy gasps out, the first time he's spoken in hours.


"We're not dead," I say.  No one dead feels this tired. 




So far, Crossed is decent.  One of my big problems with it is that I can barely differentiate between Cassia's voice and Ky's.  Just looking at the excerpt I posted, that could be either one of them.

What're you reading this Tuesday?

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des RĂªves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

I'm really not sure what the heck to say about this book.

That . . . for a while I thought I'd give it a million stars, and for a while I thought it'd only be 3 or 4.
That . . . I should read more adult fiction if it's like this.
That . . . the cover is incredible and shiny and perfect.
That . . . it was beautiful.

I didn't know what I'd think about this book.  I'd heard some people sing praises about it, especially about the writing, and we all know how I love good writing. But I'd also heard some very negative things about it. I just didn't know.

I started it, and fell in love.  With the gorgeous writing, so old and elegant and beautiful.  With the intriguing, mysterious plot.  The feel of the whole thing.

And as it went on and on, I realized something.  Something besides the fact that while this book is technically 387 pages it's more like 700.

The pitch is a big fat lie.

Oh, some parts are true enough.  The parts about the circus, at least. But the parts about Celia and Marco?  Well, if not lies, they are certainly misleading.  When I hear about the fierce competition between two magicians, you know what I picture? I picture a duel. Two magicians actually confronting one another in a test of magic.

And that is really not the case with this book.

Am I saying that this is a bad thing? No. It worked for the book, and I think the plot of this book is absolutely brilliant.  But there is no dueling, no confrontation.  Their "fierce competition" is the two of them adding tents and attractions to the circus.  That's it.  So if you are entering this book expecting a bunch of action and fighting, I'd suggest you set your mind straight.

But aside from the fact that the publishers mispitched this, I had only a few minor complaints.  Most of it was incredible. The plot was so complex and well thought out that I can only wonder how long it took Ms. Morgenstern to craft something like this.  The writing was beautiful and enchanting and absolutely perfect for the story.  Most of the characters were mysterious and intriguing and well-portrayed.  The whole setting and idea of this book was incredibly original and incredibly alluring.

My minor complaints were just that: minor.  I wasn't always crazy about Marco.  Sometimes I really liked him, and sometimes I wanted to smack him.  If he hadn't strung Isobel along for so long a lot of things might never have happened.  But in the end, he was who he was, and that was enough for the story.  Sometimes, I wished the story would move just a bit faster.  It never bored me so much as I just felt frustrated because the pages were so big and made me feel like I was making no progress in this huge story that spanned over thirty years.  I entered this story filled with misconceptions born from the pitch, and the slow and stately pace was just not what I expected.  And finally, there were a few things that were never fully explained. Obviously some things the reader must pick up, but there are the context clues there for the reader to piece together.  For some things, though, there was never any real explanation, and that just frustrated me a bit. I like to understand things by the end of a story.

But that aside, the fact is, this is incredible.  It is magical and haunting and gorgeous and a bunch of other lovely adjectives.  Some might argue that I shouldn't give a 5 star to something if I had that many complaints, however minor, but truthfully, this is too fantastic for me to give it anything else.

5 stars.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

In My Mailbox (1)

So, you may notice this is my first IMM. You know why? I barely ever get books. Because I'm broke. :D

However, in my family, we typically give Chanukkah gifts on Thanksgiving because we can never get together over Chanukkah. And all I asked for this Chanukkah is books.

THIS WEEK, IN MY MAILBOX.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead



Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead


A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray


Rebel Angels by Libba Bray


The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray


Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey


Paranormalcy by Kiersten White


Crossed by Ally Condie

and Delirium by Lauren Oliver



Very very very excited to dig into these.  As soon as I finish The Night Circus, I'm going to start with VA and go from there.  Also, another book that I did not put up because if I don't know if it is literally in my mailbox(haven't been home for a few days) is The Space Between by Brena Yovanoff. But that's another that, if it hasn't already arrived, should be arriving soon.

What's in your mailbox this week?  And what's on your Chanukkah/Christmas/Kwanza/holiday wishlist?