Full Blooded - Amanda Carlson

In A Nutshell:

•  1 out of 5 stars
• Recommended for: 
• At best, werewolf fanatics also willing to pick up the sequel at the same time, on blind faith.

So, honesty time: I got this book because I read 'rare female werewolf' and assumed it was related to one of two other series I've read recently, neither of which I could remember the author of when I tried to think about it. One series, I now know, is Jennifer Lynn Barnes Trial by Fire series, which this book cover is really similar to--so I was a little surprised when they were not actually related. I'm still not sure how I feel about how similar they are, to be honest.

Full Blooded is the story of Jessica, who was born the only female child to werewolves that her family knows of. She's supposed to be a biological freak--and because of that, she's been plagued with a myth all her life that because she is so different, she's destined to destroy her Alpha father's werewolf pack. But everything is supposed to be okay, because she's been living under a fake identity and working as a detective--and it's not like she'll ever become a werewolf herself, because the ability to go wolf is found on the male chromosome. Except, Jessica is very, very special and she just had her first change.

I really wanted to like this book. I absolutely adore books about shifters of all kinds, and I also enjoy stories about independent women. Yet from the first first few pages, I found myself honestly a little disappointed. I found the beginning of the book very boring, honestly, and a little slow to read. I was almost tempted to give it up just when the pace started picking up and kept me reading--which was fantastic, because this book is actually a decent read once it picks up.

Except.

See, Full Blooded has another big flaw that kept me from being absorbed into the story, and that flaw would be the way that information is shared in this story. If you read a lot, you'll have noticed a lot of great ways that people manage to insert important information into the story. Stuff like believable conversations that inform a character as it informs the reader, just blending it into the story as needed, etc. Full Blooded has a TERRIBLE problem with this. The author attempts to utilize the conversation method, except the conversations basically consist of the main character explaining a huge thing all in one large paragraph...to someone who, according to the story, would definitely already know. It's jarring from a reader's standpoint, and makes it difficult to really experience the story.

The pacing itself is also crazy. Like I mentioned, the story is slow at the start, with lots of information being shared. After, it picks up...and then it rushes forward so fast that it's hard to keep up. Jessica magically finds her mate and is madly in love within what seems like hours. ...I'm actually pretty sure it IS hours. Suddenly everything is happening all at once, with little time for the reader to adjust and...well. It's just a little much.

But in all honesty, I could have gotten over all of these things easily, if it weren't for this one last thing that knocked the score from a 3.5 to a 1--this book does. not. end.

I don't mean that it drags on forever before it comes to a conclusion--I mean that this book literally doesn't have any sort of "ending" at all. There is not a single conclusion to be found in this entire book. There are literally dozens of ongoing plots, and not a single one of these plots comes to a head to give this book a reason for being. Instead, dozens of tiny plots and ideas are woven together in this book, set up, seem to reach their climax...and then the book literally just STOPS. NOTHING is explained. NOTHING is finished.

Speaking as a reader, that is bull. I understand wanting to write a series, I really do. I understand setting up for a sequel. I understand having ongoing plots throughout a series of books. Hell, Harry Potter went big with a series that has an overarching plot stretching seven books--and that was okay. The difference here is that a good book in a good series should have a single plot that reaches conclusion in that book, even if other plots continue on. This is not a complete story, this is not a complete book, and I'm going to be really honest: I got this book from netgalley, and I'm irritated. If I had purchased this book, I would be furious.

If you're a werewolf fanatic looking for an adult novel with some mystery hints, then this book might be worth looking into. But keep in mind that before it's worth the effort, you're going to need to ALSO purchase the sequel on blind faith--because there isn't a finished story in just one. That said, I haven't read the sequel, and am not likely to due to how much this one annoyed me, so I'm not even sure if that's true--for all I know, there isn't even a conclusion until a third book.

Sworn To Raise - Terah Edun

In A Nutshell:

•  3.5 out of 5 stars
• Recommended for: 
• fans of authors such as Tamora Pierce and Maria Synder

Part of getting back into the swing of things, for me, is hitting up NetGalley to look for some stuff to work on (something that I will forever recommend to anyone interested in trying to run a book blog). A great new feature they have up is the ability to search for books with automatic downloads, which means not having to wait for approval--and since I've been offline for a bit, this seemed like my best bet. Sworn to Raise was one of the first books in this category I found that wowed me.

Sworn to Raise is the story of a young girl, Ciardis, who grew up as a poor laundress. Her biggest claim to fame was a secret recipe for soap that didn't make red dye bleed from clothing and the hard calluses she'd built up from years of hard labor. Then, one day, a woman comes looking to buy Ciardis' recipe, and instead ends up inviting Ciardis to come join her and become a companion--lifting her out of poverty. Now Ciardis must train to become the best companion she can be, and to catch the attention of a wealthy patron.

I really, really liked Sworn to Raise. I initially grabbed it because I assumed it was a sort about something like courtesans, but I was really pleased when I realized that it's actually more about mages and magic! I couldn't tell you if companions actually are some sort of high class prostitute or mistress, actually, in addition to their magics, although there are indications in the book that companions often become wives and consorts. In fact, if the idea of Sworn to Raise turns you off because you're assuming the book is mostly about romance and trying to woo guys, you should actually give it more of a shot--Sworn to Raise is much more magical fantasy than anything else, with a setting and magical rules that would appeal to most fans of Tamora Pierce or Maria Synder!

In fact, my favorite part of this book was the exploration of magic and magical talents! In Sworn to Raise, mages specialize in one thing and one thing only--there are telepaths, mages who can amplify sound or other people's magics, and even magical copiers who can transfer their own learned abilities to others to borrow! I'm excited for the sequel just to see where else the magic system goes!

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this book. That isn't to say it's perfect--far from it. The writing style takes a little getting used to, the character development could use some work, and there are times that the story does feel a little bit rushed. But the story is very interesting, the universe is fascinating to read about, and I do feel like the good in the book outweighs the bad. I will certainly be looking forward to a sequel!

Golden Lily - Richelle Mead

In A Nutshell:

•  4.75 out of 5 stars
• Recommended for: 
• fans of YA vampire lit looking for something different than the last twelve they read
• fans of any of Mead's other YA books
• anyone with an interest in urban paranormal YA

Knowing that I'd read Bloodlines and enjoyed Mead's work, a friend of mine threw this my way last Christmas. Sadly, I never seemed to have the time to get to it, until Zenita invited us to New York shortly after graduation for a book signing that Mead was going to be at. I reread Bloodlines the night before, and read Golden Lily on the ride up.

Golden Lily is a great sequel to Bloodlines, and continues the story of Sydney working to protect Jill in sunny Palm Springs while also balancing potential romance on all fronts, new secrets, and her own experiences with the belief system that she's been raised with.

I liked Golden Lily. Like most of Mead's books, the Bloodline series makes you want to keep reading, and there are so many plots that are subtly twisted into the books that I found myself wanting to reread bloodlines -again- just so I could look back and find all the hints for future plots that I didn't even think twice about the first time I read it!

Character development is one that that Golden Lily does -not- lack! I don't think there's a single decent character in this book who didn't change and progress over the course of this novel, and it's amazing how well Mead manages to juggle so many characters! Sydney especially is great to read about, because the belief system she's been raised into and places so much trust in is challenged almost constantly by the things she sees and does every day as she works with the Moroi, and Mead's portrayal of Sydney and her slowly morphing belief system is spectacularly believable!

One thing that I find myself hating in modern YA is the constant presence of a love triangle in almost every book I seem to put my hands on. Mead does not hesitate to place hints of this trope in her book--yet I still found myself wanting to read despite my minor annoyance as I noticed the slow formation of what seemed like one, which is very notable considering that I have been known to throw a book down if the romance becomes too excessive. I consider the fact that the romance in this book barely phased me to be a star for Mead. She is capable of doing what many other authors are not: including romance in a story without deriding the plot. I love her for it.

Overall, I enjoyed The Golden Lily a lot. I loved it so much, in fact, that I stole Zenita's copy of The Indigo Spell from her while we were waiting in line to see Mead at the signing, and managed to finish it before we got home that night! I'd definitely recommend The Golden Lily, and in fact, the entire Bloodlines series to anyone with an interest in urban paranormal YA, anyone who enjoyed Mead's other YA, and anyone who is interested in a book series about vampires that doesn't read like the hundred other vampire books flooding the market!

If any of those describe you, you should definitely look into picking up a copy the next time you're looking for something new to read!

Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr

Sorry for the delay in posts. Suffice to say that while taking 6 classes wasn’t my best idea, taking six classes including a high level accounting class ONLINE, a high level literature class, and an economics class of any kind, was among the worst I’ve ever had. But I actually had some time to read over spring vacation, and manage to devour a whole three books in my free time, and I wanted to share them with you all!

So Wicked Lovely was prominently placed at the library by my fiance’s house in South Carolina, where I spent my week, and his mother let me use her card to get it. I’ve heard of it a lot, but I’ve never actually had a chance to look at it before. I’m really glad I did pick it up, though, because I kinda fell in love with it. I also hate myself for picking it up, because I can’t read the sequels until after May 16^th, when finals are over!

Wicked Lovely is the story of four interesting individuals and a lot of fairies and magic. Keenan is the summer king of the fairies, but his powers are bound by the winter queen, his mother, until he can find his own queen of summer—a human girl converted by his will into one of the fae, who can withstand the power of winter when she touches the winter queen’s staff. Aislinn is the newest human girl he’s pinning his hopes on—but what he doesn’t know is that Aislinn can see fairies, has always been able to see them, and knows what he is…and she doesn’t want anything to do with it. Seth is her human crush and her safe house, a mortal boy who lives in an old converted train car and provides her a place surrounded in steal and empty of fairies. Donia is the winter girl—the last human girl who took a chance of Keenan, but couldn’t withstand the magic of winter. Thus, she is bound to be in the winter queen’s power until such a day that another girl takes the test and loses, taking the winter magic from her. Her goal is to tell any girl who prepares to try of the dangers of trusting Keenan and taking the test.

First off, I’m biased and I can admit that. I absolutely love books about fairies, even to the point that I was able to get over my initial desire to avoid the book just because of how central the romance is to the plot, something I’ve been more and more uninterested in lately. From the very first chapter, I was so incredibly glad I’d decided to give it a chance. The book starts out with the test of the summer queen, and Donia reaching for the staff and first becoming the winter girl. This is the part where I instantly fell in love with the book, because Donia is truly in love with Keenan when she takes this test….and it doesn’t matter. Love doesn’t cure all, and Donia still becomes the winter girl, and faces the fact that Keenan continues looking for his queen even while she suffers in love for him.

This certainly isn’t an entirely original idea, and I’ve read plenty of books where the main character has an old flame who tries to tell off his current affection, but I’ve never read a book where the old flame had such reason, and had her story told just as much as his. Wicked Lovely completely takes the stereotypes that young adult books have been producing in the past few years, stereotypes about love conquering all, the old jealous flame, and the girl who starts out headstrong and somehow ends up melting into the male lead...and it turns them on their head. I love it for that reason.

There are so many things I could say about this book that I’m honestly afraid I’d ruin it for you if I went on, because I truly, truly love this book. I know I could gush about it for pages, but that wouldn't be as much fun for you! So I’m going to just say that I heartily recommend this book, if you’re one of those people who haven’t yet touched it—although I think I’m a minority in not having done so before this past few weeks, haha. Wicked Lovely is a great book, with a great idea behind it, and I completely devoured it in a few mere hours because I didn’t want to put it down. So if you’re a fan of fairies, especially wicked and cruel fairies, or you just want to read a book that breaks some of the romantic stereotypes of the modern YA genre, definitely look into picking up a copy of Wicked Lovely next time you go book hunting!

Falling Kingdoms - Morgan Rhodes

Oddly enough, I've considered myself a huge fan of fantasy books for years--but reading this book made me realize that I've moved away from fantasy a lot. Mostly, I've been hitting nothing but urban fantasy for so long that reading this book was like a refreshing wake up to a genre I used to love.

Falling Kingdoms is a fantasy novel by Morgan Rhodes that's due for publication this month, Dec 2012. According to the book itself, at least, Morgan Rhodes is a pen name. A google search tells me that if you're a fan of Michelle Rowen, you might be a little more interested in this book than you thought.

Falling Kingdoms is the story of a land split into three kingdoms, where magic is real to some but not to others, and where a series of young people find themselves swept into politics and danger created before their time. Cleo is a young princess of a rich kingdom who watches in horror as a noble of her kingdom kills a boy from the poor kingdom next to them, without the power to speak up against it. When chaos breaks out between the kingdoms, she runs from her home seeking a cure for her sick sister and is forced into dangerous politics she wanted no part of. Magnus is the son of the king of a religious kingdom nearby, the king of blood, so known because he taxes his people into starvation and slaughters any who might be accused of witchcraft. To protect his beloved sister and make his father proud, Magnus is willing to do anything--he just hopes that in making his father proud, he doesn't hurt his sister in the process. Jonas is a poor boy in a poor kingdom, who watches as his beloved older brother is slaughtered in front of him by a noble of a kingdom which flaunts its wealth while his people starve. For revenge on nobility everywhere, he is willing to do almost anything. When rumors of war begin to break out over the kingdoms, he finds his chance to do so much closer than he had imagined.

This book is fascinating in many ways. At once it is both three separate stories while also being one huge interwoven fantasy, and the effect is amazing. There are so many different perspectives on every situation that it is incredibly difficult to figure out who the victims are and who tho villain is--if there is one at all. While one chapter has Jonas spewing vitriol and hate about how Cleo is a heartless noble, and even the reader can't deny that she has done wrong, the next will be about how heartbroken Cleo is about what happened, and how self-sacrificing she is in the name of helping her sister. I think my favorite part about this entire book was this sort of depth to the story--no matter how much one part makes you want to hate a character as a villain, the next section of the story gives you such a heartbreaking look into the motives of that villain that you can't hate them. As a reader, I found myself hating various side characters, but I couldn't not love every one of the main characters.

Another cool thing about this book was the way it looked at magic. In the kingdoms of this book, magic is either outlawed completely, and witches burned if they are suspected, or else it isn't believed in at all--despite the fact that it is very much real. It's so rare that it's barely remembered, thought of as a legend or a fairytale, yet there are still characters willing to risk everything for the very chance that it might be true.

My absolute favorite thing about this book, that I can't say too much about without spoiling a pivotal scene, is completely about the magic. Unlike in many other stories, where the entire plot is about seeking out some magic power that can save the world and usually does, magic isn't some godlike plot device where the main character finds some magic ring and is suddenly able to save the day. Even in a world with magic, like in Falling Kingdoms, there are no easy answers--and even magic can't make everything okay.

The last thing that really stands out about this book is how interwoven some of the lore and plot points are. A story will be mentioned, for instance, that is barely remembered by the reader--until suddenly, something about that story or fact or whatever is massively important, just waiting for the reader to pull everything together. I -love- books like this.

In fact, I really like this book a lot. I wouldn't say it's a new favorite, and I probably won't reread it constantly, but I could see myself reading it at least once more in the future. It's decent, it has a good story, and I'm going to look into the sequel when it comes out.

That being said, it's not perfect and there are some things that might turn a reader off. There are some squicky issues that I don't want to go too in depth with, because I'm not sure how much I might ruin for you. Nothing too bad, and nothing that terrible, but I know there are some readers who might really hate a certain character because of one of his major motives--so if you think you might be easily grossed out, specifically by anything of a incestuous nature, maybe give this book a pass.

My only real problem with the book is that it suffers from what I'm going to call 'sequel-itis', a common problem found in books that are coming out nowadays. The entire premise of Falling Kingdoms, as given by the first few chapters, is about a type of magic that must be found in order to save things. I won't say too much, but suffice to say that this magic is mentioned constantly, hinted at, discussed, and it's a huge thing. Yet, by the end of the story, the main characters have yet to even look at this magic. It has not been searched for, it has not been anything, it's just been SET UP for. This entire book literally could be read like nothing more than a set up for some magical awesome journey that I'm sure is going to be found in a sequel. And some people like that, so maybe that's not a bad thing for you, but I hate it. I won't go to much into why, because that's a rant for another post, but I have a problem with series that take one single plot and just stretch it out into two or three or five books so that you can't even get a conclusion to the very first story unless you're willing to pay for five books. I feel that if you're going to have a series, each book should have its own complete plot while the series collectively might have another overarching plot--like how the Harry Potter books each had a story of Harry saving the stone or Harry winning the tournament, and the overall series was about Harry defeating Voldemort.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Falling Kingdoms, and it doesn't have sequel-itis near as bad as some other books I've read recently...but at the same time, I felt very bereft and unhappy when I finished this book and there was no real conclusion. I would have rather had a good conclusion with such a good story that I wanted to buy a sequel on merit alone, rather than no conclusion and a need to buy a second book just to get the rest of the first story. But I digress.

I think that fans of Tamora Pierce's fantasy novels might really like this book, although it doesn't have as much magic as they might like. Fans who enjoy stories with semi-villains with motives they can relate to would also enjoy this book. I'd also recommend the book for fans of Game of Thrones, actually, who enjoy YA books. I haven't read much of Game, but from what I HAVE...well, they have a very similar, fantasy and political feel to them.

Cursed - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Cursed is one of the ARCs I snagged at Book Expo. It was one of those books that I read the back of, and instantly knew that I had to read it, no matter what. In this case, the driving 'omgomgomg' factor was the main character's special talent. If there's one thing that Shatter Me and X-Men have taught me, it's that chicks who kill with a touch tend to be pretty awesome.

Cursed is the story of Ember McWilliams, a high school student who died in a car crash. Unlike most tragic stories of teenager death, however, Ember had a little secret: her sister, Olivia, was a healer. In fact, she was such a good healer that she brought Ember back from the dead. But everything comes with a catch, and after her visit to the afterlife, Ember is cursed with the inability to touch anything without it dying. No more pets, no more hugging her sister, and no chance of ever having a boyfriend or a family. To make matters worse, her mother is stuck in some kind of dark trance after the death of her husband in the same accident, so Ember has to take care of Olivia on her own. But things are okay--usually. Until the day that everything changes and Ember's worst nightmare becomes her reality.

The next thing she knows, Ember and her sister are placed in a new home in West Virginia, where she has to adjust to a new life. Here, she lives with a family of adopted 'gifted', and they promise to take care of her sister. In order for Ember to feel safe, though, she has to trust the man running the house. But when she learns that the accident that killed her and her father wasn't an accident, she can't help but feel suspicious of the man who collects super powered children like baseball cards.

In all honestly, I'm not sure if I've ever read a book by Armentrout before. The books listed on her website don't sound like I've ever read them--but do, I might add, have some incredibly sexy covers--, but I could have sworn that her name was pretty familiar when I got in her line at Book Expo. Either way, I'm pretty happy I chose the line I did, because I thought this book was fantastic.

To begin with, I loved Ember's power. That's probably a given, since I already said that I enjoyed Shatter Me and Rogue, but it still needs to be said. I just love the idea of it, and I could read a thousand books about super powers like it and still be in love with it. Honestly, I kind of love -everyone's- powers in this book. Her sister is a super healer who can bring people back to life, one of the girls is an empath, there's a telepath, and... well, one of the boys is an 'enerpath', and that's a made up term, so don't ask me entirely what that means. Something about being able to bring down houses and make garbage cans split by draining energy. Wish I knew more about it, but it seems pretty cool.

The plot of this book is pretty interesting, and I liked following Ember on her path to figure out all the mysteries that are thrown her way. It's a little predictable at times, but overall, it's a pretty good storyline, and I look forward to any potential sequels that follow up on the many topics that were brought up but never concluded.

 Character-wise, I felt that most of the characters were very real, very human and flawed in the right ways. Ember's little sister was a very good character, and definitely encompassed to me what a 6 year old is. At times I wanted to hug her and cuddle her, and other times I kind of wanted someone to just take away all her pretty toys and make her stand in a corner for a while (or worse), because she was so typically bratty. But at the same time there are slight exceptions. The main love interest, Hayden, was my least favorite character possible, because he was so...meh. He was super powerful, magically able to handle Ember's death touch, gorgeous, and honestly...kind of bland, too me. Even his big background reveal towards the end of the book, which I obviously can't spoil for you...well, it was a really big issue, but it was also the exact same kind of thing I've read in a million other stories. The love story itself is deep with angst and happiness and fluff, but I feel the male lead could have been better.

That being said, I think the book was really good overall. I'd definitely recommend it, particularly to fans of Shatter Me who want to try a book of the same flavor minus the dystopian influence. I'd also recommend it to the readers who are hungry for semi-paranormal stories that don't involve vampires, fairies, or werewolves for once. Finally, all the current YA readers who are dying for another love story without the love triangle influence, like I typically am, should definitely pick up a copy of Cursed when it comes out on September 18, 2012!

Grow Up - Ben Brooks

Grow Up was my first NetGalley grant from my most recent round of requesting. I’d be lying if I said that the cover wasn’t the reason I wanted to read it, so props to the publishing company for that.

Grow Up is the story of Jasper, a teenage boy living in Britain whose daily life consists of school, his best friend, fake therapy, and more drugs than I thought was possible. His goals consist of getting laid, doing drugs, and…oh. Proving that his stepfather is a murderer, which he already knows but that everyone else doesn’t seem to understand.

To start off, if this book is supposed to be even remotely descriptive of what it’s like to be a teenager in the internet generation…well, either the British are a lot more wild and drug obsessed than American teens, or I was really out of the loop in High School. I think Jasper, or someone with him, does drugs literally once every chapter on average. That may or may not be an exaggeration.

Grow Up is supposed to be a coming-of-age novel. I honestly don’t think I knew what that meant until I read this book, but it makes a lot of sense in context. It has everything a book about teenagers should, I’ll say that much. Plenty of angst, lust, anger, smugness, frustration, desire, utter inappropriateness.. It has it all in spades. And let us not forget teenage arrogance, which Jasper absolutely reeks of.

I will say that Grow Up is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while. This is probably because I am a teenager myself, and the inappropriateness of everything just made me giggle. Jasper wants to hook up with the perfect princess of his school, and his Holy Grail quest to get laid had me rolling quite a few times.

What’s interesting about Grow Up is that, because it’s a book about growing up and not about saving the world or something, the plot jumps around like crazy. Without spoiling the details of everything for you, included in Jasper’s drug hazed story is graverobbing, (kind of) rape, golden showers, ruined lives, and a good bit of fire. Only in a book like this can all those things go together and actually work for the story.

So if you’re into coming-of-age teenager type books, I’d recommend Grow Up for you. If you’re into a book about drugs, booze, and sex, well, Grow Up is definitely for you. And if you want all that good angst mixed in with enough humor to make it easier to swallow, pick up Grow Up when it comes out April 24, 2012.

Hanging By A Thread - Sophie Littlefield

So my apologies for the delay: this whole 'college' thing is a real time sucker.

I got Hanging by a Thread through NetGalley, as usual, after Littlefield tweeted about it's avalibility. Being a fan of her post apocalyptic zombie book, Aftertime, I've been pretty interested in getting something else by her. Lucky me, I got accepted!

Hanging by a Thread is about Clare, a young girl who recently moved back to California in time for her sophomore year in high school. Clare is a designer who enjoys taking old clothes apart and turning them into something new, and her business so far has been pretty successful for a weekly stand run with an old friend. But as someone who deals so heavily with old clothes, Clare has a pretty big secret: when she touches old clothes, she can sometimes see what happened to the people who were wearing them. It's a skill her grandmother used to have, and it's one that Clare's mother has made her promise to ignore and let die. But after Clare finds a jacket she believes belonged to the girl who went missing last year, Clare's power gives her a clue that might lead her to discovering what happened to Amanda...if she can manage to not get hurt in the process.

Maybe it's because I'm already a fan of Littlefield and I was expecting a decent book, but I liked Hanging by a Thread. It wasn't a book I'm planning on gushing about to my book minded friends, but it was an enjoyable read and I wouldn't mind reading it again one day. I enjoyed the mystery, enjoyed the complexities of Clare's power, and I enjoyed guessing at the reason for Amanda's disappearance.

That being said, Hanging by a Thread is somewhat...bland, at times. The beginning of the book was a little slow, with far too much description and not enough action. After the admission of Clare's powers, the book does pick up a lot. But maybe not as much as it could have. A lot of the relationships between the characters aren't really gone into very much, and I feel the fact that Clare was a returning resident of the town with build in friendships was something of a cop out--the relationship between Clare and her once best friend isn't really developed very much, and is kind of just taken as a given. And Clare's love interest in this book...well, there isn't really anything -wrong- with the relationship so much as it isn't all that special. I can only remember one real 'development' point in their relationship off the top of my head, and the very nature of their relationship is cliche and overdone. He's the unpopular bad boy who she's continually told isn't a good guy for her...so of course he's the guy she somehow goes for.

But don't get me wrong, I did like Hanging by a Thread. I love unique types of powers, and seeing visions from clothes isn't one that I've read a lot. I though the mystery was great, the conclusion was pretty cool, and Clare's backstory was a really good look at what having powers can do to a family. But as much as I did enjoy the book, it had some pretty glaring flaws, and if I'm going to be honest, this isn't really a book that I'd recommend to everybody.

If you like reading about teens with unique powers, then Hanging by a Thread is something you might find interesting. If you like YA mysteries with a touch of supernatural, then I would recommend this book to you. But if you're one of the many YA fans today who are looking for an amazing romance aspect, or you're looking for a book about a teen who is a heavy power user...well, this isn't the book for you.

But if you are interested in reading about Clare's story, then Hanging by a Thread comes out in September 2012. Make sure you pick your copy up!

Replication - Jill Williamson

Replication was granted to me by Zondervan through NetGalley. If the name sounds familiar, Zondervan is a christian publishing company, and granted me The Merchant's Daughter a few months ago. That being said, I was pretty happy to get Replication, because Merchant gave me hope for Zondervan books.

Replication is about J:3:3, also called Martyr. Martyr is an identical clone, one of hundreds of the Jason model that are created and raised in the secret Jason Farm base. His life is surviving until he's 18, at which time his 'purpose is realized' and he is sacrificed to help create an antidote to the poisons in the real world. Or at least, that's what he's told. But after a new scientist appears in the Farms, Martyr is given the chance to dream of new things. All Martyr wants before he realizes his purpose is to see the sky--just once. He escapes, only to meet Abby: a religious girl who was forced to move near Jason Farms to meet the desires of her scientist father. Abby attempts to teach Martyr that death isn't his purpose, and that God has given him a purpose of his own.

This book...well, it's always weird for me to read a religion heavy book, and this was definitely religion based. Much of the book consists of Abby and Martyr discovering God together, and religion and conservative views are very strongly portrayed. As a person who subscribes to neither such system, it was weird for me to read. But for someone who is a conservative christian, I'm assuming that this would be a pretty big plus for the book.

The story itself was pretty awesome. I loved the idea of a giant series of clones, and I loved Martyr's entire motivation. I loved Abby's father's moral dilemma, loved the boy that Abby meets in her new school, and I honestly don't know what to say other than I loved the story itself.

As far as characters go, my favorite was definitely Martyr himself. Marty got his nickname because of his protective nature. In Replication, cloning isn't a perfect system at all. There are mistakes, problems, and flawed creations. Martyr was a protector of those flawed creations. The disabled clones, the clones that came out mentally retarded such as Baby, Martyr sought to protect them from clones that were crueler. He reminded me of a very gentle, happy dog in much of the story, which is kind of weird to say about a human character, but is still very true. His fascination with bright colors was adorable.

I'd recommend Replication to any christian reader seeking a book about spiritual discovery. I'd also recommend Replication to fans of The House of the Scorpion, as long as they're okay with the religious aspects of the novel, as the clone issues are very well portrayed in both stories. Finally, I'd recommend Replication to anyone who would be interested in a story about a completely blank slate being introduced to the world we live in.

So if any of those describe you, pick up Replication by Jill Williamson the next time you're book hunting.

Free Friday Reviews - In Her Name: Empire - Michael R. Hicks

So a few months ago, just before my kindle bit the big one, I heard about this book being offered out as a free book. I thought it was an amazing marketing strategy, but sadly, my kindle died and I never got around to doing anything about it. But I just got a new Nook--life is good--, so I got around to reading it. Best idea I've had all week.

So in honor of Moatb's first Free Friday Review, where I'll be reviewing a random free book or item that you, my readers, can also get, I finished In Her Name: Empire today.

In case you haven't heard of In Her Name, the series is by a self published author who decided to offer the first book completely free to whoever wanted to download it. The idea is that if you like it enough, you'll go out and buy the next books in the series. This idea is genius, although that may just be because the book itself is pretty amazing.

Empire is the first book in the In Her Name series, and revolves around a boy named Reza. As a child, Reza's parents were killed in front of him by a member of the deadly alien race, the Kreelan. After he fights back against the alien, he cuts across her eye and she, for some reason, lets him live after marking him the same. Instead of death, Reza is sent to a planet the human race has turned into an orphanage, where he lives for years until the Kreelan show up and change his life once more. Reza is taken and paired with a member of the Kreelan, part of a grant experiment for the Kreelan to determine if humans have souls.

Usually, when I see a free book, I assume one of three things: it's a sample of chapters that is mislabeled as a free book, it's porn, or it's a novella. Occasionally, though, downloading a free book gives you something absolutely amazing, and this was one of those times. Empire is an amazing first part of a new series, and the fact that it was free only makes everything sweeter.
My favorite part of the book was undoubtedly the Kreelan themselves. The Kreelan reminded me very strongly of the Na'vi from Avatar. They're described as blue skinned women with fangs, claws, and long hair that they never cut. They're described as being connected somehow to one another, they're very nature related, they shun technology, and almost everything they have is hand made. Of course, they're also very different from the Na'vi: they're combat oriented, have a very bloody society, are very technologically advanced despite not using technology in daily life, and invade and destroy other races.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure I could make a case for Empire being an Alternate Universe fanfic for avatar, with some magic thrown in. That's not a bad thing, though.

The idea behind the plot is kind of a cool one. The entire reason that Reza is taken is because the Kreelan, being an advanced race, see all other creatures as animals. Because of this, Reza and several other children are taken to the Kreelan planet in order to be part of a grand experiment to see if one of them can prove that their blood can sing: that they, too, have a soul and are more than just animals.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a pretty amazing idea, and I kind of love where Hicks went with it. Hell, there's a part of me that can't wait to see fanfiction of this book, just to see other people's takes on it.

One of the really cool things about Hicks' writing is his character progression. Empire totals over seven hundred pages on my Nook, which might not be as much on another source, but is still a pretty reasonable chunk of story. It stretches over a very long time, and details Reza and his partner's life through training, challenges, meeting, etc. What's cool about it is how well the characters are developed over the course of this timeline. Reza and his partner's relationship goes from one of master and disobedient pet to tentative friendship, and it's completely believable. Despite the fact that Reza is following the ways of a race of beings which killed his parents, at no point when I was reading did I have to stop and think 'huh. weird how he's suddenly okay with these creatures'. Instead, his progression from hating the Kreelan at the beginning of the book to slowly coming to accept them follows well, without any vast character changes. It's slow and reasonable and it makes sense.


I'm not going to say that In Her Name: Empire is perfect. Because it's not. It's self published and the author probably didn't have a professional editor. There are some mistakes, some adjective abuse, etc. But most of the problems with this book aren't in the story or the writing, so much as they're in the editing. And that's okay, because the story IS worth it.


If you liked the Avatar movie, I'd actually recommend Empire for you. If you like a mix of science fiction and fantasy in your books, then I'd recommend Empire. If you want to try something new, something that's worth the value...well, can't go wrong with free, right?


So if you think you're interested in Hick's In Her Name: Empire, even a little, then pick up your completely free copy from any of the following locations:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/In-Her-Name-Empire-ebook/dp/B0026RI9TO

Google Books: http://books.google.com/books/about/In_Her_Name_Empire.html?id=PucXedISaRkC

From the author's blog: http://authormichaelhicks.com/books/in-her-name/in-her-name-empire/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-her-name-michael-r-hicks/1102397547?ean=2940000698730&format=nook-book

Retro Reviews - Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey

Retro Reviews are something that I'm going to try and start doing once in a while on the blog. They're reviews of books that I read when I was a lot younger, after I reread them again now. The goal of retro reviews is to get readers who usually only go for the new and shiny books to try something that isn't quite so new and shiny.

Dragonflight was chosen as the first retro review because I recently found out that the author, Anne McCaffrey, died last November, and I'm rereading in her honor.

Dragonflight is the story of Pern, a planet that is both very similar and very different from medieval earth. On Pern, dragons are huge, telepathic beasts which mentally bond to humans upon their hatching. Their purpose on the planet is to protect Pern from Threads, which are parasites which fall from a red star that orbits near Pern, and destroys all organic matter that they come into contact with. At the beginning of Dragonflight, it has been over four hundred years since the last time Threads fell upon Pern, and the dragonmen and their Weyr are now considered burdens to the people they protect. But the queen dragon, which gives birth to all others in her Weyr has perished, and so the dragonmen nonetheless go out on a Search to find young women who might bond with the next queen, whose egg is preparing to hatch. It is on this search that F'lar finds Lessa, the last remaining member of the Ruatha bloodline that has gone down in history as producing some of the very best Weyrwomen. Lessa bonds with the new dragon queen, a huge golden beast named Ramoth, and is taken into the traditions and learnings of the Weyr. But F'lar and the other dragonmen quickly find that Lessa isn't content with just following old traditions, and there are signs that the threads, which some believe no longer exist, will soon fall upon Pern once more.

I read Dragonflight first as a child, second in high school when I was required to for a club, and finally for a third time this week. Both times I read this book as a kid, I absolutely adored it. I loved the dragons, the characters, the world. I loved the dragon riding more than anything, and I loved the fact that the dragons could teleport and had telepathy and... I just loved it.

Reading it as an adult, I still love this book for what it is, but I do see the flaws more. The book is definitely a product of the time it was written in, and this is a lot more visible to me as an adult than it was as a child. Despite the fact that the entire book is about Lessa, women in this Pern novel are pretty much useless. If they don't have a queen dragon, they are literally nothing more than slaves. This is despite the fact that there are female dragons besides just the queen: only men are dragon riders. Even the queen dragon, and Lessa, are told that they can't fly and generally treated terribly. Lessa's relationship with F'lor kind of screams abuse, too. At one point, she is terrified to the point of trembling because she knows that, despite having done something to possibly save the world, she knows that F'lor is going to 'shake' her as he does anytime she does something he doesn't like.

That being said, if you keep in mind the fact that this book was written in the 1960s or so, for what it is, this book is kind of great. I loved Lessa for being the manipulative and devious character she is, and I kind of hope that she broke some of the female stereotypes as far as the series goes, since I never read the rest of the books. I vaguely remember female dragonriders in one of the other books that I might have read...but I can't be sure that was Pern and not a different series entirely.

The dragons were definitely my favorite part. Much like cats, their entire lives outside of the thread fighting consists of sleeping, eating, breeding, and generally being superior and amazing. They can fly, teleport through 'between', talk telepathically with their bonded, and if given the right stone, can breath fire. They're just...awesome. Not as awesome as the dragons from the movie version of How To Train Your Dragon, in my opinion, but still pretty fantastic.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to any and all fantasy fan who hasn't already touched upon McCaffrey's work, because it's a fantastic entry into a series that, while I haven't read yet, my grandmother never stops talking about once I mention it. I'd recommend it to fans of Eragon who want to see one of the original dragonriders, and I'd recommend it to people who hated Eragon and want to see what a good book about dragonriders looks like. I'd also recommend it to anyone who likes dragons, because let's be honest: DRAGONS. <3

So if you think Dragonflight sounds interesting, try picking a copy up the next time you're out. Check your library, since it's an old book, or buy a copy yourself if you think it's good.

Read this book and honor a great author who has gone on to her next great adventure.

Storm Born - Richelle Mead

It's become something of a pet project, it seems, for my friend ZenitaDee to get me into Richelle Mead books. As I've mentioned before what has probably been a few dozen times, Zenita is a huge fan of Mead's work and generally follows everything she does. Has the star and bolts on the back of her neck from VA, got all giddy and happy when an author at a signing told us the baby's name, etc. As she has now led me to finish Vampire Academy and the Succubus series, it seemed only natural that she walked into my house one day and tossed Storm Born at me.

Storm Born is the first book in yet another series by Richelle Mead, this time about Eugenie Markham. Eugenie--and don't ask me how to pronounce that, because I'm still sounding out these names in my head—is a shaman whose daily life consists of taking care of spirits and gentry that cause problems in the human world. Her newest case consists of a man claiming that his little sister has been taken by not just fairies, but by one of the fairy kings himself. In order to get the girl back, Eugenie would have to go into the fae’s world in the flesh, at great danger to herself. It’s after she does so that she is informed of a prophecy in the world which centers around both herself and her first born son. Suddenly, Eugenie is rapebait for any fantasy creature with a taste for power, which isn’t helped by the fact that she still has to save the human girl who was taken by the fae.

I should also note that Storm Born and the rest of the Dark Swan series are more along the lines of Succubus than Vampire Academy. Younger readers beware.

Let me start by saying that this books starts off really slow. I’ve enjoyed the other series by Richelle Mead, though doubtlessly not as much as Zee has, and I was disappointed when I first began reading. While the beginning has some spots of humor and such, I really had problems getting into this book. It’s after the first hundred pages or so that this book gets good, which is kind of glaring flaw in the story. But I will say that when this book starts getting good, it gets fantastically good.

Ignoring the slow beginning, the storyline for this book is kind of great. As I said in my theme article a few posts back, I –love- fae in my books, and I’m really hoping that the fairy themes become a book fad. The fact that this book revolves around a fairy world parallel to the human world kind of made me giddy when I read the back cover, and I love the way the fae are presented in this book. I particularly enjoy the way that mythology from different areas around the world is twisted together to create a very diverse fairy race. There are the general Sidhe-like gentry nobles, there are pixies, water monsters of many kinds, and even a kitsune! And instead of the typical two court fairylands that you see in books such as the Iron Fae series and the Meredith Gentry series, the world of these Dark Swan novels have many different courts and kings, creating a nice touch of politics and power plays.

I currently have two more books in this series sitting at home on my desk waiting for me, and based upon this introduction to the world, I’m very excited to read them. That being said, the one thing I can see forming in this book that I know I’m going to hate is Mead’s usual romantic set up: a love triangle. I’ve probably mentioned it on here a few times, and I’ve ranted about it to friends even more offline, but I abhor this new thing where every book and its mother has to have romance, and has to have a romance with a love triangle. I especially hate the fact that these love triangles almost –always- consist of one guy it would be easy to love, one guy it would be hard to love, and the girl who, to date, I have yet to ever see pick the guy it would be easy to love. And being as I’m the girl who roots for that guy whose easy to love and is usually shown to already have been in love with the girl for years, I kind of hate the fact that the guy who gets the girl in these books is always the guy who creates a pain in the ass situation. Which means that after reading this book I’m already supporting Eugenie and Dorian, and I’d bet money that this series will conclude with Eugenie and Kiyo.

But nonetheless, this book is pretty good, and I’d recommend it first off to any fans of Mead’s other series. The feel is very similar, particularly in terms of the characters. I’d also recommend this book to those fans of Twilight, Nightshade, Firelight, etc, who love the romantic triangle aspect of fiction. And furthermore, I’d recommend it to those people who, like me, absolutely love fairy fiction.

So if you fit those categories, or just want to try a new fantasy romance novel, grab a copy of Storm Born soon. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Touch of Power - Maria Snyder

(This cover is my favorite, but you may know Touch of Power by it's alternative cover, seen here.)

Seeing the approval on Netgalley for this book made my week, and that's not an exaggeration. I've been hyped for Touch of Power since I first heard about it, and being as Snyder is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, you can imagine how excited I was to get my hands on an advanced copy of the first in a new series. And it had better be a series, mind, because I would cry if this book didn't ever get a sequel.

Touch of Power is the story of Avry, a woman with the ability to heal others by taking on their wounds. One would think being such a self-sacrificing being would make Avry loved, but the opposite is true: in Avry's world, the healers were accused of causing and refusing to heal one of the worst plagues in history, one which killed so many people that it completely destroyed all government systems everywhere. Those healers who are still alive are hunted, a bounty on their heads. It would be easy for Avry to stay hidden and pretend that she's normal, but every time she tries, she can't resist healing a sick child, and is forced to go on the run again after the town tries to turn her in. It is after being caught that Avry meets Kerrick, a man who busts her out of prison just before her execution. Kerrick believes that Avry's powers can be used for a good cause, his cause, and is willing to do what it takes to make her agree.

I loved Touch of Power. I just adored it. It's an adventurous, slightly romantic story mixed with a lot of lovely fantasy, amazing characters, and a good dose of humor, and the only bad thing about it is that it ends, in my opinion.

The fantasy aspect is there without being overwhelming, the way a lot of books are. Instead of throwing so much magical jargon at you that you can barely stand, any terms that Snyder uses are eventually explained, and there aren't a million references to keep track of. There's nothing worse than reading a fantasy novel that reads like a DND campaign when you've never played. After the fifth ring of Serrapis or whatever, you tend to lose track of what goes where and what does what, and I love that Snyder doesn't just load her stories up with fantasy just because. There's a good bit of magic and wizards and such, but there's just enough to make the story great without making it complicated.

I adored Snyder's characters in this book. Avry is a the kind of female heroine that I love, a stubborn, strong leading woman who just happens to be completely awesome. She's strong willed without being stupid, she's ethical, and she's no damsel in distress. At the same time, she's not the overly hard butch chick who saves everyone. She's more of a character and less of a stereotype, and I love that. She's not weak, but she's not so strong that there's no point to the story. She needs saving sometimes, but she does the saving sometimes, so maybe, more than saving, she just needs help. She's one of the best main characters I've read about in a while.

Besides Avry, great characters include Kerrick and his band of men, among others. Kerrick is devoted and willing to be cruel for his cause, but too softhearted to actually keep this cruelty going. His men include a street rat, two chivalrous men who would risk their lives to protect others, and a large beast of a man that could easily rival Hagrid in size of form and heart. Even the villain, for all that he's, you know, evil, is pretty well fleshed out. He's honorable despite being cruel, and there's a method to his madness.

If I had to pick out the weakest part of this book, I'd say it wasn't so much the setting that was built, so much as how it was built. The setting itself is pretty cool, and I loved the idea of Death and Peace Lilies, I loved the fantasy-esque setting, and I loved the magic system that Synder set up. But at the same time, I was a little hazy on the details of this universe, and I really hope it's fleshed out a little more in other books in this series, because right now I don't know what to classify it as. It's a gorgeous setting, really it is, but I can't figure out what exactly it is. Sometimes it seems like a glorious fantasy setting full of magic and castles, then the next it seems like it might be not too far from the world of today. I can't tell if the setting of Touch of Power is supposed to be a 'our world after the plague wipes it out' type of world, a 'medically advanced medieval' type of setting, or something like a world that is our own, but in more of a developing nation setting with magic. I just don't know what to think when this fantasy world has characters start injecting people with syringes. It just clashes, in my mind.

Overall, I loved Touch of Power, almost as much as I loved the Poison Study that caused me to become a fan of Synder to begin with. It's a great first book in what I can't wait to become a series, with a main character I can't wait to keep reading about. The book ends at a point that makes me crave the sequel right now, without being such a cliffhanger that I'm obsessing, and it's books like Touch of Power that make me realize that the worst part of being an ARC reviewer is having to wait extra long for the sequel.

I'd recommend Touch of Power to Tamora Pierce fans, first, because Synder and Pierce seem to go hand in hand to me. I'd also recommend Touch of Power to the YA crowd, although it isn't strictly YA based on the characters themselves, just because it has the same feel that YA usually does. And I'd recommend it to anyone who just wants to read an amazing book, whether they've heard of Maria Snyder or not.

So if Touch of Power sounds interesting to you, please pick it up when it comes out in one month, on December 27, 2011!

The Iron Knight - Julie Kagawa

I'm not going to lie, when I got this from NetGalley, I kind of squealed and did a happy dance. I'd requested it without noticing the publishing date, and honestly thought that Harlequin was going to despise me for the request. Instead I actually got a copy, which was pretty cool of them, and the most amazing thing to find in my inbox. And the fourth book in the Iron Fey series definitely did not disappoint.

The Iron Knight is the story of Ash, the once knight to the now Queen of the Iron Fey. Shortly after taking the throne, Meghan, the Iron Queen, called on Ash's true name and forced him to leave her kingdom, because she knew that his being there would kill him. The Iron Knight picks up just after this, with Puck and Ash on a journey to find a way for Ash to survive in his love's kingdom. They enlist the help of Grimalkin and set off, with Ash's goal in mind: to claim a human soul, become mortal, and be able to live with Meghan in the Iron realm. But he quickly finds that things are going to be harder than he could have ever imagined.

While I was excited to read The Iron Knight, and I really did like it, I was very unenthusiastic about the idea of Ash as the main character. I love Ash, don't get me wrong, but I love Ash as Meghan's lover and companion. I wasn't half as excited for this book once I realized that Meghan wasn't the main character, or, indeed, present in the majority of the book at all. But Ash makes for just as good of a main character, even if I still wish The Iron Knight had been a continuation of Meghan and the Iron fey, and the sheer number of questions that are answered in this book make up for everything that could possibly have been wrong.

The problem with The Iron Fey is that there is a very key twist to the story that happens very early, and it isn't something I can willingly spoil for you. That being said, it's hard to describe what's so amazing about this book without doing so. Suffice to say, in that regard, that the plot twists and such that appear in this book are amazing. Puck and Ash's interaction is much more advanced and intricate in The Iron Knight than it ever was in the first three books, and the characters are fleshed out amazingly well, particularly the ice prince. There's a lot of issues from earlier books that are explored, and I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the backgrounds of characters, including a newly introduced character that joins our two favorite fairy boys on their quest.

This book is an amazing new chapter in the Iron Fey series, and I honestly can't wait for another. This series makes me feel like a bookish Oliver Twist, begging for more, and while I'm not sure if there will be more to this story, I very much hope there will be. Particularly, mind, after a very interesting scene in The Iron Knight which may or may not have narrated parts of Ash's life with Meghan in the future, but I can't say much more than that.

If you liked the other three books in the Iron Fey series, then you need to pick up The Iron Knight, because it is an amazing continuation, and you'll probably love it. If you haven't heard of the Iron Fey series, then you should go pick it up when you get the chance, because it's a great series, particularly if you're ready to move on to something more than vampires.

The Iron Knight is on sale now, so grab your copy soon and enjoy following our favorite Ice Prince!

Fractured Light - Rachel McClellan

Being the complete cover art whore that I am, I'm not going to lie: the first thing that made me want this book was the girl's almost white hair and the sheer shininess of the object in her hands. Then I read the synopsis and found out she had something like a superpower, and I was sold. I was pretty excited when I got the 'yay, you can read this' email from Netgalley.

Fractured Light is the story of Llona, an aura who has the ability to control light. In Llona's world, there are beings of darkness which hunt the aura's down to drink their blood, which gives the dark beings the ability to go out in the light. Or, in other worlds, a race of vampires who can only hunt these very specific people. After her parents' deaths, Llona decides not to follow the typical aura path, but instead chooses to grow up in the regular human world, blending in instead of standing out. All Llona wants is to survive to old age, not to be killed in her prime like her mother. In order to do so, she promised herself she wouldn't make friends, wouldn't stand out in any way. But when she starts to let her guard down, she makes a mistake and begins to feel...hunted. Her only hope is to try and learn to control the power she has, the same power which is to blame for her mother's death.

Fractured Light reminds me of Vampire Academy, if Vampire Academy had taken place when Rose and Lissa had been on the run from the school. Llona, as an aura, should have been placed in the special private school for training her kind. Instead she lives with her uncle, trying to blend into the real world so that the evil vampire-esque creatures can't find her. Fans of Vampore Academy will probably like Fractured Light for just that reason.

Personally, I liked the characters a lot. My favorite was May, Llona's best friend, although me going into why I loved her so much would ruin more of the story than I'm willing to. Matt was also a sweet character, and McClellon was pretty good at creating the bad characters too. I kind of wanted to backhand Mike across the room, but that was probably the point. And because of the mystery nature of the book, I can't list the villain by name, but I loved him too. Or, well, I did until he actually came out as the villain and become a crazy nutcase. But yeah, until the crazy, he was pretty cool.

The story of Fractured Light is a little slow at first, and predictable, but it's interesting. It does speed up after Llona becomes a little more open, but it doesn't get really good until later in the book. On the other hand, while it may start out kind of slow, by the end this book sets up for what will probably be a pretty cool series, if McClellan chooses to got that path. I know I'll be picking up any potential sequels, that's for damn sure.

The only real aspect that really bothered me about this book was Llona's powers. Now, don't get me wrong, they're pretty cool and all. I like the idea of a race whose sole purpose is to cause happiness and joy. That's pretty cool. But at the same time, the part of me that remembers learning about light in science classes is kind of just like...what? With light? Really?

As a side note, I would have loved if McClellan had inverted the "good is light, dark is evil" stereotype, but that's another story.

All in all, I'd say Fractured Light is a cute story. It's not likely to be your next 'omgfavoritebestbookever', but it's still enjoyable as a light read. I'd recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the paranormal YA genre, and I'd recommend it to the Vampire Academy crowd for reasons listed above. And to add to the Vampire Academy draw, let me further point out that there are a lot of aspects of the romance between Rose and Dimitri to be found in the romance in Fractured Light!

So if you're a fan of Vampire Academy, or just want to check out a new paranormal YA book, check out Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan when it comes out February 8, 2012.

Elixir - Hilary Duff

When I think Hilary Duff, there's still this part of me that can only remember her from my childhood as Lizzie, or occasionally, by her voice on my first ipod played several million times. As a kid, I loved her. I had most of her music, the Lizzie McGuire movie was my favorite for months, and I just liked her. That being said, there was a part of me that resisted the idea of looking into what one of my favorite childhood stars has been up to, because, let's be honest, my favorite childhood stars don't have a good track record. How many times has Lohan been locked up?

At the same time, though, this cover is gorgeous and I've been hearing some good things. I figured I'd jump on it when I had the chance.

Elixir is about Clea Raymond, the daughter of a famous politician mother and an archeologist father. After her father and she bonded over photographs before he died, Clea has always loved taking them, and goes nowhere without her favorite camera. But after a trip spanning several countries with her best friend ends, Clea looks at the photos she's taken and notices something strange: in a number of the pictures, the same guy can be seen in the background. In fact, in one picture this guy is seen floating in midair. He's the man of her dreams, and that's a literal fact: Clea has drempt about him dozens of time, always with her in the role of one of several women throughout history. Except, and here's the thing...those dreams always end with the horrifying and gruesome deaths of the women.

I honestly wasn't expecting much from Elixir, so I was happy to realize I was enjoying the book. The story is interesting, if a little simple, and some of the characters are amazing. I loved Clea's best friend, Rayna, and her fascination with the idea that every guy might be her soul mate. Clea herself was actually a pretty cool character, one that I thought was interesting and decently fleshed out. I loved her photographer persona, and felt that was a really cool point to add.

The story is fast paced, something new always happening and dragging me along so fast that, when I hit the last page, I kept waiting for more story to show up. Needless to say, there's definite room for a sequel, one I hear came out pretty recently and that I'll probably grab when I get the chance.

I will say that this book isn't fantastically perfect; the romance is a little lacking and rushed, as is much of the plot. I feel that, had the book been longer and had more room for everything to develop, it would have been ten times better. It also would have probably read like a stand alone book, rather than give off the strong 'I'm a set up for a series" vibe that Elixir gives. But even with the slight rush, I still think Elixir is a good book, certainly worth reading.

When I think about Elixir, the books that come to mind in comparison, for some reason, are Evermore and the other books in The Immortal's series by Alison Noël, and I think that the books have a lot in common. So if you liked Noël's books, you should give Elixir a try. And if you were a Duff fan so many years ago, and want to see what she's up to now, there's also no shame in grabbing Elixir just because of the author.

And remember, if you like Elixir, the sequel is already out and titled Devoted! I'll be getting my hands on that book as well, and I'll share my opinion soon!

The Merchant's Daughter - Melanie Dickerson

When it comes to books, I rarely pay attention to publishers before I read them. I know a few out of repetition and BEA booths, but otherwise I rarely take notice. In the case of The Merchant's Daughter, it's probably a good thing I don't. When I requested the book from NetGalley, I went entirely off of the synopsis, and had I known anything about the publisher, Zondervan, I likely wouldn't have touched it. Christian Fiction isn't something I'm usually a fan of, but The Merchant's Daughter surprised me.

The Merchant's Daughter is the story of Annabel, who, after her family is found guilty in court and given the choice of paying a fee that would take their home or sending someone to work as a servant for 3 years in the lord's home, flees in the night to become the servant and save her family. As the servant to the lord, Annabel is expected to do hard labor, something that she has never done due to her father's wealth when she was a child, and her mother's insistence to their town that, even after her father died, their family didn't need to help with the harvest. It's the reason why her family was in court to begin with. Annabel's only sorrow is that, with the loss of her father's wealth when he and his ships sunk, she will never be able to afford the fees to join a nunnery and gain the right to read the bible, which has been her dream for years. But she is fine with doing the work to earn her place, even if her new lord is scarred and cruel. Except that she's quickly finding, to her surprise, that he isn't as cruel as he seems.

The easiest way I can sum up The Merchant's Daughter is that it's Christian fiction for someone who doesn't like Christian fiction. In a time when most YA books tend to be gritty and real, and when most romance books tend to involve the main characters jumping into bed within the first half of the book--and in graphic detail that makes reading outside of the home mortifying--it's really nice to read a book where the story is just...nice. I know that sounds really bland, but that's the best word for it, I think.

Annabel's story reads like a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it's a very sweet telling at that. The lord is gruff and ugly, scarred down his face from a wolf attack and hardened against women thanks to hardships in his past. Annabel is sweet and pretty, a young girl who has never done work willing to give herself up so that her family doesn't have to lose their home. I love the characterization in this book, from the main two characters to the absolute vileness of Annabel's selfish, spoiled brothers. There were flaws, and I feel that the vile characters were somewhat flat, but at the same time I liked them that way. Part of me kind of missed books where the bad guy was the bad guy was the bad guy, rather than the bad guy whose secretly good pretending to be bad while he does some really good things, like..saving the main character's life. Frequently.

The book wasn't perfect, obviously, but then again, what book is? Personally, I really liked The Merchant's Daughter, and kudos to Melanie Dickerson. It's not a life changing book, or the next big thing, but it's simple and it's sweet and for someone who wants to read something where a duck is a duck not a shapeshifter trying to take over the world or something, it's a nice change. I'm not sure who I'd recommend this to specifically...but if the synopsis seems interesting to you, even if it's not your usual book fare, then pick up a copy of The Merchant's Daughter when it comes out December 1, 2011. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Fire Study - Maria Snyder

As expected, it took me less than a day to finish Fire Study by Maria Snyder, the last book in the Study series and I'm pretty satisfied with the series as a whole. I'll probably end up buying copies of the books for my shelves, so I can reread them whenever.

Fire Study picks up with the end of Magic Study, with Yelena in Sitia still trying to help take out the warpers and keep the Sitia from going to war against Ixia. Cahil has begun to follow the warpers, believing they can help set him on the throne, and to make matters worse, the warpers are trying to release a new threat: a fire elemental like being known as a fire warper, one of Yelena's worst fears.

I liked Fire Study a lot. Not as much as I loved Poison Study, but definitely more than I liked Magic Study. With Magic Study, it seemed like the plot was being dragged on without actually being concluded at the end, whereas Fire Study had some of the same plot, while having the conclusions that Magic Study demanded. Fire Study is a fantastic ending to a really good series, and I'm happy with the way it everything ended up. I adored the way Yelena's powers developed, although I won't go into details about them for risk of spoiling the story, and I loved the way Snyder chose to close the story.

The book, and indeed, the entire series, seemed like a great mix of all the aspects of a good book. There was a good story, good characters, and a romance that was interesting without taking up the entire goddamn book, like so many YA books seem to. I'm glad to finally find a good YA book that doesn't seem to turn into 'wow, which of these gorgeous perfect devoted guys should the main character end up with' instead of the original story. *coughFracturecough*

That being said, if you read Poison and Magic Study, you probably don't need me to tell you that you need to pick up Fire Study. And as always, a specific recommendation to fans of Tamora Pierce~! If you haven't read Poison and Magic Study, I'd recommend it to all fans of the fantasy and YA genres, although I hope I haven't spoiled the first two books for you in this review!