Karissa's Reading Review

News - Book Releases for Week 9 (Feb 19th - Feb 25th)

2012-02-18T00:49:00.000-08:00

Waiting on Wednesday - 2/15

2012-02-15T00:48:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week my The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin, The Witch Assassin by Joseph Delaney. This is one of my absolute favorite middle grade series and I can't wait to read this book. Click on the image to go to Amazon and read more about this book.

The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin, The Witch Assassin by Joseph Delaney

Release Date: April 17, 2012
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Length: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-0062082077

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

"I am Grimalkin, and I have already chosen those I will kill ..."

Grimalkin has made it her lifetime ambition to destroy the Fiend, avenging the brutal murder of her son. Having grudgingly joined forces with the Spook and his apprentice, Tom, and assisted them in the binding of the Fiend, she is now on the run. And her mission is deadly. She has to help them bind the Fiend's spirit for ever no matter who - or what - comes after it... This latest chilling instalment in the "Wardstone Chronicles" follows Grimalkin, the terrifying witch assassin, feared wherever she is known."

Review - Bloodrose (Nightshade, Book 3) by Andrea Cremer (4.5/5 stars)

2012-02-15T00:39:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Philomel
Release Date: January 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-0399256127
Stand Alone or Series: Book 3 in the Nightshade series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the final book in the Nightshade trilogy by Cremer. She will be writing a prequel series of which the first book is called Rift, right now this is scheduled for release in August 2012. I thought this book was an excellent conclusion to this series; I loved the ending and thought it was such an appropriate and creative way to end the series.

The search for the Scion's weapons is on. Calla, Shay, and Ren...along with the other Searchers and Guardians are on a quest to find the two swords that Shay needs to confront the Keepers. Then following that will be the epic battle to save the world from the Keepers' evil magic. Oh, and of course, there is a lot of boy drama between Calla, Shay, and Ren.

I absolutely love Cremer's writing style, I can't quite pinpoint what it is that draws me into these books...but they are just so readable and engaging to me. I think part of it is the absolutely natural sounding and witty banter between the characters; it is so fun to read and so well done.

I have a hard time saying that I really admire any characters in this book; they all do some really stupid things. For the first part of the book Calla was kind of...well...skanky. She made out with Ren, made out with Shay, made out with Ren some more...I had some trouble with this and had to roll my eyes at all of her drama. The way she strung those boys along was criminal...all supposedly for the good of the fight. But, Calla has never been a favorite of mine and I admit she had some truly tough decisions to make. So, despite her indecisiveness and skankiness I can turn a blind eye. At times the teen drama got to be a bit much for me, but it never went too overboard.

What really blew me away was the plot and the complex world. I loved that this book had a heavy fantasy-type questing element to it. The group had to adventure through caves and traps to obtain the Scion's swords and it was incredibly well written and amazing to read about. The complexity of how the battle came together was also very interesting to read about and incredibly well done; it never got confusing or hard to follow despite the multitude of characters involved. It takes a great writer to make something that complex easy to follow.

The other thing I absolutely loved was the ending. I won't say much about it, but I thought it fit beautifully with the tone of the story and was so happy that it was something different (and not something typical of a lot of the YA paranormal books out there). This was just such a well thought out and well put together series.

Overall I really enjoyed this conclusion to the Nightshade series. It was surprising, complex, and very well put together. I enjoyed the complex world, the quest-like adventuring the characters went through, and the wonderful action scenes. I could have done without Calla's indecisiveness but I accept that that is a necessary evil of most of these YA paranormal books. I am curious as to what Cremer will come up with next in her prequel series, Rift.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Charlie Madigan, Book 3) by Kelly Gay (4.5/5 stars)

2012-02-13T00:32:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: August 30th, 2011
ISBN: 978-1451625472
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This was the third book in the Charlie Madigan series by Gay. It was an excellent addition to the series and I really enjoyed reading it. There was a lot more character development in this novel and a bit less action, but it still made for a wonderful story.

Something is making Ash victims commit suicide. No one knows if they are being possessed or if it is just part of the Ash addiction, but Charlie is very worried about her sister Bryn who was accidentally exposed to Ash during the big battle in the first book. In order to figure out what's going on Charlie is forced to make a deal with some Charbydon creatures and has to venture into Hell itself. Not all is lost though; she has Hank and Rex at her side and will hopefully solve the mystery of her sister's Ash addiction before it is too late.

Charlie grows more as a character in this book than in any other previous book in this series. In fact more page space is dedicated to character/character interaction than the previous books and this leads to less action but a lot of growth in the characters we already know and love. Charlie has to take on a lot of responsibility in this book and she is finally learning how to handle that responsibility. She also grows a lot emotionally as she deals with her daughter, her possessed sister, and her partner in crime, Hank. I liked her more in this book than I have in the previous books.

The best character of the book though is Hank. We learn a ton about Hank's mysterious past and it was a lot of fun to read about. The tension between Hank and Charlie is wonderfully done in this book; there were parts where you couldn't have pried this book out of my hands...I just had to know what would happen next.

I continue to love the interesting world building and also love watching Charlie grow into her new powers. We get to meet some new types of creatures and get to watch Em's Hellhound in his natural environment.

There wasn't as much action, but I still found the book incredibly engaging. The book does end with a horrible cliffhanger and I am dying to find out what is going to happen in book 4, Shadows Before the Sun.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is one of the strongest in this series. I continue to love this world. I also loved how much the characters grew and changed throughout this book. Hank is by far one of my favorite characters and learning his mysterious past was awesome. Can't wait to see what happens next. Recommended for fans of urban fantasy; especially for those who like complex world-building in their urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

News - Book Releases for Week 8 (Feb 12th - Feb 18th)

2012-02-11T00:48:00.000-08:00

Graphic Novel Review - Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday by Ted Naifeh (3.5/5 stars)

2012-02-10T00:26:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 128 pages
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: April 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1934964118
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Courtney Crumrin series
Source: Gift fro Xmas
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This is the fourth (and final?) book in the Courtney Crumrin series. There is a follow up series called the Courtney Crumrin Tales, which is supposed to give more background on Courtney's uncle. This book was probably my least favorite of the series; it just had a lot of things happen in it that didn't make a whole lot of sense. The sudden inclusion of werewolves and vampires (and the loss of focus on Night Things) made me feel like Naifeh was trying to cater to the whole teenage girls with werewolves/vampires trend.

This installment consisted of two chapters. The first dealt with a group of werewolves and a young boy and girl in love. Courtney tries to help the boy and girl be together, but finds that nothing is as simple as it seems. The second chapter deals with Courtney meeting a handsome boy that only she sees; she falls in love with him but he is not what he seems to be.

The theme of this installment in the series seems to be romantic love. Courtney is trying to believe in love and help it along, but again and again she is shown that the truth is much harsher. It is kind of depressing overall, you see Courtney's dreams and hopes dashed over and over again.

The drawing is in keeping with previous installments. I missed the Night Things and wondered why Naifeh decided to set this in Europe with traditional paranormal creatures. Courtney doesn't really develop her witchcraft any more; this book just seemed so not in keeping with the Courtney we've come to know and love.

That's not to say the story wasn't engaging; it was a quick read and interesting. I enjoyed it, I just thought it was less exciting and more depressing than previous books in the series.

Overall a decent book in this series, but my least favorite. The story is kind of depressing and Courtney seems much more melancholy than in previous books. I still highly recommend this series for fans of fantasy graphic novels.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Waiting on Wednesday - 2/8

2012-02-08T00:45:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week my Waiting on Wednesday book is Balthazar by Claudia Grey. Click on the image to go to Amazon and read more about this book.

Balthazar by Claudia Grey

Release Date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Length: 384 pages
ISBN: 978-0061961182

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

"Haunted by memories from his first days as a vampire, Balthazar has spent hundreds of years alone—without allies, without love. When he emerges from his isolation to help Skye Tierney, a human girl who once attended Evernight Academy, Balthazar has no idea how dangerous it will be. Skye’s psychic powers have caught the attention of Redgrave, the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries ago. Having learned of Skye’s powers and the remarkable effect her blood has on vampires, he plans to use her for his own evil purposes. As they stand together to fight the evil vampire, Balthazar realizes his lonely world could finally be changed by Skye...just as Redgrave realizes that he can destroy Balthazar once and for all by taking her for his own.

In a story filled with forbidden love and dark suspense, one of the most beloved characters in Claudia Gray’s New York Times bestselling Evernight series will captivate readers with his battle to overcome his past and follow his heart."

Early Review - The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (4/5 stars)

2012-02-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 192 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0312644383
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got an advanced copy of this book to review through Amazon Vine. I loved Potter's first book, The Kneebone Boy, and was very excited to see what this second book would be like. It was an fun read. It is based off of The Secret Garden which I haven't read (hangs head in shame). It has a lot of quirky characters, very subtle magic, and a wonderful mystery.

Hiding is Roo's special talent, which is a good thing. When Roo's parents are murdered in their trailer she is hiding beneath it. This saves her life, but leaves her homeless. Then she finds out that she has a rich eccentric uncle who lives out on Cough Rock Island in a strange house that was once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children. Roo hears a strange humming from certain parts of the house and wants to unravel the mysteries of both the house and the island itself.

Like The Kneebone Boy, this book is full of quirky characters, beautiful imagery, and many mysteries. You are really drawn into the story by the mystery of the Humming room and by the fact that Roo might get sent away from her Uncle if she can't learn to fit in better. I loved all of the characters; they all have their special little quirks. Roo is wonderful at hiding and the two boys she meet on the island have their own peculiarities. In the end the story is about friendship and finding out where you belong in life.

It is a very short read, but is very well written and fun to read. There isn't a ton of fantasy in the story so I hesitate to list it as fantasy...it's more magical realism. The magic throughout is subtle; there are small things that happen here and there that just can't be explained without something magical going on.

Overall I enjoyed it. It is a great read for middle grade readers who love mystery and are interested in reading about a girl who is trying to find her place in a life where she just can't seem to fit in. I would recommend to fantasy readers as well just because there is a hint of mysterious magic unexplained throughout the book. If you liked The Kneebone Boy I think you will enjoy this book as well. If you love mystery and quirky, interesting characters definitely go and pick this book up.

This book goes towards the following reading challenge:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Early Review - The Kingdom (The Graveyard Queen, Book 2) by Amanda Stevens (5/5 stars)

2012-02-07T00:59:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 384 pages
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: March 27, 2012
ISBN: 978-0778312772
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Graveyard Queen series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the second book in the Graveyard Queen series. The third book in the series, The Prophet, release in April 2012. I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The Restorer, and was very excited to read this book. I loved the haunting setting, the beautiful writing, and the tragic characters. We learn a lot about Amelia's past in this book and it was a wonderful read.

Amelia is leaving Charleston behind to travel to the isolated mountain village of Asher Falls to restore a cemetery there. Upon arrival she meets the dashing Thane Asher who tells her about the first cemetary underneath what is now Bell Lake. Why did they flood this cemetary? Who hired Amelia to restore the newer, Asher cemetary? Why is Amelia so drawn to this town and to the secret grave she finds at the bottom of the cliffs? There is an evil the haunts this town and Amelia needs to solve the riddle behind it before the evil takes her too.

I love Stevens writing style; it is haunting, mysterious, and beautiful...just an absolute joy to read. The plot is creepy, compelling, and made the book impossible to put down. This book has a very southern gothic feel to it.

Amelia is a great character. She has a backbone and is brave, yet still comes across as vulnerable at times. There were a few times in this book where Amelia did some really stupid and dangerous things, these were those moments in a horror movie where you yell "No! Don't go into the dark forest by yourself!" So a couple times I was exasperated with her, but I still just love her character so much and love how her curiousity drives her.

Devlin isn't in this book at all. We see a couple letters to Amelia from him and Amelia pines for him, but he is never present. Instead the playboyish Asher Thane is the male lead. I enjoyed Asher; he was a complex character, that had mysterious motives. His character worked wonderfully with Amelia and he gives Devlin a run for his money.

The plot is wonderfully woven; elements from the first book are woven into the story seemlessly and you can really tell that Stevens meticulously planned this whole story out. I loved the mystery, the creepiness, and the way everything was woven so neatly together. Some of the things revealed in the second half of the book will absolutely blow you away; I was surprised and stunned. The book does end with a pretty big cliffhanger...so I am excited that I got the third book The Prophet for review last week....I will be reading it soon.

Overall I just loved this book. The writing is so beautiful and easy to read; it just flows so nicely. The characters are realistic, complicated, and absolutely endearing. The plot is complex, mysterious, and very well woven together. The book was incredibly engaging and I just had a ton of trouble putting it down. This book is very much a gothic paranormal mystery of sorts. It is different from all the other urban fantasy out there, but should really appeal to fans of that genre. I highly, highly recommend this series to fans of gothic literature or fans of urban fantasy/paranormal stories. This is seriously one of my favorite series right now. I cannot wait to read The Prophet!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Follower Love Giveaway Hop

2012-02-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Follower Love Giveaway Hop! This hop is being hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Rachel Renee Anderson.

Please fill out the form below to be entered to win a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate! Don't forget to check out all of the other sites participating in the hop in the linky list below.

Most of all thanks for being such wonderful followers!! Without you guys this blog wouldn't exist :-)

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Review - Letters to a Young Chemist editor Abhik Ghosh (3/5 stars)

2012-02-06T00:53:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult/Adult
Genre: Chemistry/Non-fiction
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
Release Date: April 5, 2011
ISBN: 978-0470390436
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 3/5 stars

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. I work as a chemist and thought this sounded like a fun read. While it was a somewhat interesting read for someone who works in the field I don't think it was a good read for someone who is considering chemistry as a career.

The book is broken into four sections: From Fundamentals to Applications, Chemistry and the Life Sciences, Functional Materials, and Chemistry and Energy. Each case study starts as a letter to a fictional undergrad student named Amanda who is considering getting a degree in chemistry. The author of each case study gives a brief history of their background and then delves into a specific example of how they have used chemistry to solve a problem/problems.

The concept it fun but its execution is lacking in many cases. Like any collection of "stories" there are a lot of hits and a lot of misses in this book. My main problem with this book that a lot of the misses are in the beginning of the book in the From Fundamentals to Applications section. If I had started reading this book as a student I would have run the other way from chemistry; these initial case studies are difficult to understand, highly technical, and don't apply to problems that are easy to relate to. I've worked in the field for over 10 years and even my eyes were glazing over halfway through the first case study.

So just keep in mind this reads like a technical journal, you need a lot of chemical knowledge to follow these case studies. Some of the case studies are so specific and narrow that you need a lot of very specific knowledge to understand what is going on.

That being said there are some parts of the book that are very well done and would be exciting to read it you were considering a career in chemistry. Most of the cases in the section on Chemitry and the Life Sciences were pretty interesting. I enjoyed the case study called "Better than Sliced Bread" which goes into how they are working on solving Celiac's and other such diseases. I also enjoyed the Choreographing DNA section which discussed DNA and related it to a dance recital that the author participated in. Other highlights were "Biomaterials at the Beach: How Marine Biology Uses Chemistry to Make Materials" and "Happy Campers: Chemists' Solutions to Energy problems". These selections tackled issues that are broadly understood and did a good job of explaining in a way that was easy to understand without already have a PhD in Chemistry.

Overall I do think that this book provides an interesting array of case studies from various fields in chemistry; it is an interesting read for someone who is working in the field of chemistry. Unfortunately I do not think it does a good job targeting the audience it was intended for...that of young undergrads thinking about a career in chemistry. Many of the case studies tackle obscure issues, are highly technical in explanation, and just plain tedious to read about. I wouldn't recommend this for students considering a degree in chemistry; I do cautiously recommend this for chemists interested in reading overviews of a broad variety of new chemistry areas.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

In My Mailbox and Mailbox Monday - 2/6/12

2012-02-05T00:48:00.000-08:00

IMM is a meme started at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

Mailbox Monday can be found at: The Printed Page

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This week I got nine books. The vast majority of them are for review. You can watch the video below for a summary of them all. Or click on the pictures below to go to amazon for a summary.

Hope you all got some great reads and look forward to a great week of reading!

For Review:

The Prophet (Graveyard Queen, Book 3) by Amanda Stevens

Partials by Dan Wells
The Moon Moth By Jack Vance
Worlds Burn Through (The Chronicles of Nowhere, Book 1) by Vicki Keire
Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Bought

Threads of Death (Elemental Assassins, Book 5.5) by Jennifer Estep

Embers: Prequel to Firelight by Kristen Callihan

From Library:

Bloodrose (Nightshade, Book 3) by Andrea Cremer

News - Book Releases for Week 5 (Feb 5th - Feb 11th)

2012-02-04T00:48:00.000-08:00

Winner of YA Giveaway Hop

2012-02-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the YA Giveaway Hop!

The winner was Sarah from Inklings Read

There were 307 entries and the winner was chosen using random.org.

Early Review - The Nightmare Garden (The Iron Codex, Book 2) By Caitlin Kittredge (5/5 stars)

2012-02-03T00:28:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 432 pages
Publisher: Delcorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0385738316
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Iron Codex Trilogy
Source: eBook though Edelweiss
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the second book in the Iron Codex series by Kittredge. This third book is supposed to be titled, The Mirrored Shard, and from what I could find is scheduled for a late 2012/early 2013 release. I absolutely loved the first book and couldn't wait to read the second. In this book we venture into the Mists and get to meet the secret Brotherhood that Aoife's father was part of. I love the world and the characters created in this series; although I was a little disappointed that Aoife kept making the same mistakes over and over again.

Aoife has destroyed the Great Engine, unintentionally loosing the monsters of the Thorn (faerie lands) into the Iron lands (our world). She is forced to flee into the Mists with her brother, Cal, Dean, and Bethina. Eventually Aoife meets up with her father back in the Iron land. She finally decides that rather than slowly go insane in the Iron land waiting for her father to do something, she is going to take matters into her own hands and try to find the Nightmare Clock. With the Nightmare Clock she should be able to turn back time and mend the world.

I know a lot of people are upset that Aoife makes the same huge mistakes in the second book that she does in the first. In a way though I kind of liked this, it made the story ironic and makes Aoife a perfect tragic heroine of sorts. I love Aoife's blend of toughness, rashness, tenderness, and vulnerability. This blend makes her a very realistic character. The fact that she makes her decisions out of a well-intentioned need to protect those she loves makes the whole story all that more gothic and tragic.

I continue to absolutely love this world. In this book we get to venture deeper into the Mists and deeper into the land of Thorn. We also join the characters on a trip to the Brotherhood's icy and distant headquarters. The worlds are beautifully described and absolutely came alive for me. I was sucked into these worlds and really want to read more about them.

I enjoyed most of the characters as well. There are no simple characters in this story; they all have tragic backgrounds and complicated motives. Dean is another favorite of mine; he continues to be supportive and respective of Aoife in a way that makes me just love him. Cal also continues to be a wonderful addition to the story.

I will say that the story starts to a get a little ambiguous at parts. Especially as Aoife begins to teeter on the edge of insanity again, sometimes it is hard to tell her dreams from her real actions. Some readers may not enjoy this, but I thought it was cleverly done and gives the reader an excellent feel for what Aoife is going through.

The end of the book is heart-rending and ends on a super horrible cliffhanger. It had me dying to know what happens in the final book, The Mirrored Shard.

Overall I absolutely adored this book. I love the dark and gothic steampunk world that the story takes place in. I love Aoife's realistic personality and how she is a tragically flawed heroine. I love the supporting characters. I love the strange and unpredictable shifts in the plot and I love the new worlds we get to explore in this book. I highly recommend this book to steampunk and fantasy fans of all ages.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Steampunk Reading Challenge

News - The Graveyard Queen Series

2012-02-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

Okay so I absolutely adore the The Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens. I loved the first book, The Restorer, and just finished the second book, The Kingdom, and loved that one as well (review coming early next week).

I almost had a heart attack when I logged onto Netgalley.com tonight and saw that the third book in the trilogy, The Prophet, is on NetGalley.

So if you are a NetGalley.com user and a fan of this series go and grab it!

If you are an urban fantasy/gothic mystery fan why haven't you read this series yet!

Early Review - Pure (Pure Trilogy, Book 1) by Julianna Baggott (4/5 stars)

2012-02-02T00:46:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopia/Post-Apocalyptic
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: February 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-1455503063
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in the Pure Trilogy
Source: ARC from Book Expo America
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review at Book Expo America last summer. I wasn't sure what to expect when reading it. It ended up being a very well done novel; it is intruguing and well written...yet also disturbing and discomforting. The second book will be titled Fuse and is schedule to release later in 2012, the third will be titled The New After and is scheduled for a 2013 release.

When the Detonations went off some people made it into the Dome and others didn't. Pressia is one of the ones who didn't and she now lives with her grandfather in a small shed where she has a cabinet to hide in. As her sixteenth birthday approaches she knows she will be taken unless she escapes. Partridge lives in the Dome but doesn't want to; he thinks his mother is still out there somewhere alive and wants to escape the Dome to find her. When Pressia and Partridge meet up they uncover mysteries behind the Detonations that will change the world as they know it.

This book is told from four viewpoints. Pressia, Partridge, Luna (a girl who is friends with Partridge) and El Captain (an official who ends up entangled with Pressia's story). The viewpoint changes actually work fairly well in this book. Having two viewpoints from people in the Dome and two viewpoints from people outside the Dome makes for an interesting balance in the story.

This is a dark story and as a reader you have to suspend your disbelief for a large part of the story to work. A big part of what happened during the Detonations was that people were merged with things. This is explained away as happening because a mixture of radiation and nanotechnology that was included in the Detonations. I had a lot of trouble with that hand-waving explanation. Let me elaborate...so Pressia has her arm ending in a doll's head because she was holding a doll when the Detonations happened. Bradwell has a flock of birds merged into his back so he forever has birds flapping in his back. Mothers are merged with the children they were holding, the children are part of them and never age. Humans are merged with the Earth, creating monsters called Dusts. Humans are merged with a variety of debris as well and have glass and metal pockmarking their bodies. I don't know why I had so much trouble with this but it just seemed like you would have to have some pretty special nanotechnology to have this happen and have people be able to live this way. It seemed inconsistent...but whatever...I guess it is a fantasy of sorts...so let's try and get beyond that.

The chapters are very short, so you get snippets from each characters viewpoint. The story progresses in a stark and halting way because of this, but it works for this story because of the bleakness and starkness of the surroundings. The characters are all very well done, multi-dimensional and interesting to get to know. They do suffer a bit from the common problem a story has when it has so many viewpoints; you never feel like you get to know any of them all that well...it is hard to engage with them.

The main thing that propels the story forward is the mystery behind the Detonations and how Partridge's mother was involved in it. The plot itself is a bit too neat and convenient at times and makes the story seem somewhat contrived. The story itself is kind of grossly fascinating in that you never know what strange and deformed thing Baggott will throw at you next. What will be merged with what living thing next? Will the next person have a plate of glass for a face or a toy protruding from their arm?

Is this a ground-breaking novel? Not really. It blends a lot of elements from other dystopia and post-apocalyptic novels out there. It is well done and engaging. The inclusion of nanotechnology as a bioweapon that causes humans to merge with inanimate (and occasionally animate) objects is unique and interesting but unbelievable and never well explained. The novel ties up nicely leaving our characters at a good starting point for the next book in the series, Fuse.

Overall I enjoyed this gritty and slightly disturbing dystopia/post-apocalyptic YA book. The characters are well done, if a bit hard to engage with because of the multiple viewpoints. The story is well done and engaging, the world of humans merged with inanimate objects (or sometimes other living objects) is fascinating if a bit unbelievable. This isn't a ground-breaking novel, but it is a good read for fans of the genre and left me wondering what will happen next.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Dystopia Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Waiting on Wednesday - 2/1

2012-02-01T00:41:00.000-08:00

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week my Waiting on Wednesday book is Black Howl (Madeline Black, Book 3) by Christina Henry. I love this urban fantasy series and can't wait to read the next book in it. Click on the image to go to Amazon and read more about this book.

Black Howl (Madeline Black, Book 3) by Christina Henry

Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Length: 288 pages
ISBN: 978-1937007331

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

"Agent of Death Madeline Black is finding out that some of the spirits of Chicago aren't ready to cross over.

Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago's dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Agent of Death Madeline Black's exasperating boss wants her to figure out why. And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiancé Nathaniel is out of the picture — or so she thinks..."

Audiobook Review - Territory by Emma Bull (3/5 stars)

2012-02-01T00:36:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Western Fantasy
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: December 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-0765330192
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

I loved War for the Oaks by Bull and was excited to see that she had another book out. I ended up listening to this book on audio. I enjoyed the Western take on the fantasy and the intricacy with which the world and characters were created. The story moved a bit slow for me though and in the end there were too many things left unresolved.

The audiobook was well done, the story is told from three main viewpoints. The male ones are read by one narrator and the female one by another narrator. In general I really enjoyed the way the story was read.

The story is complicated and includes some of our favorite Western heroes. Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Ike Clanton are all part of the story. And the story is a complicated one. The story is mainly told from three viewpoints. Jesse Fox has decided to travel west and when he shows up in Tombstone he ends up drawn into a political battle that may end up being about more than politics. The second viewpoint is Doc's, he has tuberculosis but it seems to ease when he is around Wyatt, he trying not to get drawn into the seedy events happening in Tombstone but he is. Mildred Benjamin is the third; she is a widow who sets type at a local newspaper...she can sometimes sense or see things that shouldn't be there...because of this she also gets drawn into some strange goings on.

Just trying to give a good synopsis of this story makes my head hurt. I am not at all familiar with Western history, so I didn't really recognize or relate to any of the characters right off the bat. There are a lot of characters introduced and it was difficult for me to keep them all straight in the first third of the story. To add to this difficultly we change viewpoint a lot and the plot is not at all clear. The story starts as a recounting of seemingly unrelated events that happen in Tombstone. It takes a long while for the reader to figure out how all the events are connected and even then the story doesn't seem to have a real point.

It also takes a while for the magic to show up. You can tell that Wyatt isn't quite right from the beginning of the story; but it seems more like a misuse of power than anything magical. You also know that Jesse Fox is struggling with accepting that he has more than normal abilities. All of this isn't very well explained until late in the second half of the book; so it takes awhile to realize that there is magic and it does have relevance to everything that is going on.

The plot itself isn't much of a plot. Basically you are reading about Tombstone and what is going on there; the main plot is basically the mystery to unravel why all of these people are doing what they are doing and why they are all in Tombstone in the first place. I found the first part of the book to be slow and boring and had a hard time figuring out what the point was.

There were some things I did enjoy. You can tell that Bull put a ton of work into research for this novel; I loved the detail and the way things were described. It seems like she put a lot of effort into mirroring the true history of Tombstone; it would have been nice to have an afterward addressing this.

I also really enjoyed the characters of Mildred and Jesse. Mildred was a wonderful example of how the Wild West let women take on more responsibilty and start to carve their own futures without giving up being women. Jesse Fox was mysterious, yet very easy to relate too. It was funny how daring he could be at times but how when it came to Mildred he always put his foot in his mouth. I enjoyed these two characters and though they were well done. The surrounding characters were okay but never came alive for me like these two did.

The book ends pretty ambiguously. The main problem is kind of dealt with but not in a permanent way. You never really find out where all of the characters go or end up. The story just kind of stops. I looked to see if there was going to be a sequel but it doesn't look like it.

Overall an okay book. I really enjoyed the detail and intricacy in the story; you can tell a lot of research went into this story. I also enjoyed the two main characters. I thought the story was poorly paced though and had trouble with all of the viewpoints. The plot wanders a lot and takes a lot of time to get to the point, when it does get to the point it's kind of anti-climatic. The ending is pretty open; the story just stops. I would tentatively recommend this story to those who like Weird West stories with a touch of magic in them. Just make sure you have patience if you are going to read this.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

January 2012 - In Review

2012-02-01T00:23:00.000-08:00

This month I read 29 books. You can see below for my stats on them all.

I started the following series:
- Firelight (Darkest London, Book 1) by Kristen Callihan (4.5/5 stars)
- The Iron Thorn (The Iron Codex, Book 1) by Caitlin Kittredge (5/5 stars)
-  The Dragon's Tooth (The Ashtown Burials, Book 1) by N.D. Wilson (4/5 stars)

I finished the following series:
- The Bride Wore Black Leather (The Nightside, Book 12) by Simon R. Green (4.5/5 stars)

My Favorite Books of the Month Were:
- The Jungle (The Stuff of Legend, Book 2) by Mike Raicht, Brian Smith and Charles Paul Wilson III (5/5 stars)
- Courtyney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtyney Crumrin, Book 2) by Ted Naifeh (5/5 stars)
- The Mouse Guard: Fall of 1152 by David Peterson (5/5 stars)
- Geek Wisdom by N. K. Jemisin, Genevieve Valentine, Eric San Juan and Zaki Hasan (5/5 stars)
- Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi (5/5 stars)
- Switchblade Goddess (Jessie Shimmer, Book 3) by Lucy A. Snyder (5/5 stars)
- The Iron Thorn (The Iron Codex, Book 1) by Caitlin Kittredge (5/5 stars)
- The Bride Wore Black Leather (The Nightside, Book 12) by Simon R. Green (4.5/5 stars)

Here are the stats on the reading challenges I am participating in:
- Graphic Novel Challenge (7/12 read)
- Dystopia Reading Challenge (2/10 read)
- Zombie Reading Challenge (0/12 read)
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge (10/48 read)
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge (31/150+ read)
- Debut Author Reading Challenge (2/12 read)
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge (13/50 read)
- Steampunk Reading Challenge (1/12 read)

The full list of books that I read this month are shown below.
1. Scarlet by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev (4/5 stars)
2. The Gathering Storm (Katrina Trilogy, Book 1) by Robin Bridges (3.5/5 stars)
3. The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss (4/5 stars)
4. The Jungle (The Stuff of Legend, Book 2) by Mike Raicht, Brian Smith and Charles Paul Wilson III (5/5 stars)
5.   Neverland by Joe Brusha (4/5 stars)
6.   Crossed (Matched, Book 2) by Ally Condie (3/5 stars)
7.   Courtyney Crumrin and the Coven of Mystics (Courtyney Crumrin, Book 2) by Ted Naifeh (5/5 stars)
8.   The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (4.5/5 stars)
9.   Geek Wisdom by N. K. Jemisin, Genevieve Valentine, Eric San Juan and Zaki Hasan (5/5 stars)
10. Firelight (Darkest London, Book 1) by Kristen Callihan (4.5/5 stars)
11. The Mouse Guard: Fall of 1152 by David Peterson (5/5 stars)
12. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi (5/5 stars)
13. Switchblade Goddess (Jessie Shimmer, Book 3) by Lucy A. Snyder (5/5 stars)
14. Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars (Volume 1) by Frank Beddor, Lez Cavalier, and Ben Templesmith (3/5 stars)
15. Tortured by Caragh O'Brien (3/5 stars)
16. Katana by Cole Gibson (3/5 stars)
17. The Iron Thorn (The Iron Codex, Book 1) by Caitlin Kittredge (5/5 stars)
18. Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (3/5 stars)
19. Touchstone (Glass Thorns, Book 1) by Melanie Rawn (2/5 stars)
20. The Darkest Edge of Dawn (Charlie Madigan, Book 2) by Kelly Gay (4/5 stars)
21. Bewitched (Jolie Wilkins, Book 2.5) by H.P. Mallory (4/5 stars)
22. Courtney Crumrin in the Twilight Kingdom (Courtney Crumrin, Book 3) by Ted Naifeh (4/5 stars)
23. Fodor's Costa Rica 2012 (4/5 stars)
24. Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan (1.5 stars)
25. Witchful Thinking (Jolie Wilkins, Book 3) by H.P. Mallory (3/5 stars)
26. The Dragon's Tooth (The Ashtown Burials, Book 1) by N.D. Wilson (4/5 stars)
27. Bake Sale by Sara Varon (4/5 stars)
28. The Bride Wore Black Leather (The Nightside, Book 12) by Simon R. Green (4.5/5 stars)
29. Territory by Emma Bull (3/5 stars)

Review - The Bride Wore Black Leather (The Nightside, Book 12) by Simon R. Green (4.5/5 stars)

2012-01-30T00:20:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Release Date: January 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-1937007133
Stand Alone or Series: 12th book in the Nightside series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This was the 12th and final book in the Nightside series. It was a great end to the series; a lot of favorite characters are in the story and John Taylor faces a challenge tougher than any he has faced before.

John wants to do one last case as a PI before he settles down in his position as the new Walker and ties the knot with Shotgun Suzie. When an anonymous tip about an Immortality Serum shows up on his desk he decides to crash the Immortality Ball to try and figure out what's going on. This draws him into a case involving a double murder and eventually into a face off with the Sun King. The Sun King is trying to bring daylight to the Nightside and John will have to fight both his enemies and his friends if he will wants to stop the Sun King. Not to mention Shotgun Suzie was offered a really really good bounty on John's head and seems bent on collecting...now even the wedding is up in the air.

This was a great conclusion to the Nightside series. It wasn't super surprising and there weren't any moments that really awed me, but the story was very well done. We get to see a lot of the wonderfully disturbing and quirky characters that we have come to know and love. Dead Boy, Razor Eddie, the Oblivion brothers are all here. There are some great new characters too; we get to meet Frankenstein's Bride and Jack the Ripper and they were both fun.

The best part about this book is that, for reasons I won't reveal, John ends up facing off against a lot of his super powerful friends and these are some interesting fights to read about. The implications of what could happen to the rest of the world if daylight is brought to the Nightside are interesting as well.

Suzie isn't in the story a ton, which was a bit disappointing. But the role she plays towards the end of the story is stellar and all around awesome. Readers should be very happy with how the series ends. Although I am a bit sad we won't be seeing more of Taylor and his buddies. I would love to see some books about Taylor in his role as the Walker.

It did seem like Green is trying to lure readers over to his Secret Histories series (of which I have read the first book). There are mentions of the Drood family and things that they have done/had happen to them throughout the book. Some of these mentions are spoilers; I was a bit bummed to find out the fate of the Drood family in this book when I had only read the first book in that series up to this point. So just something beware of.

Overall a stellar conclusion to this series. Not quite as surprising and earth-shattering as Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth was, but still a very well done book. We get to read about a lot of our favorite characters and Taylor has to unravel a plot to bring daylight to the Nightside. Fans of this series should enjoy this installment. If you love dark urban fantasy full of quirky characters I highly recommend this series. It is a lot of fun and you never know what crazy thing each new page will bring.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

In My Mailbox and Mailbox Monday - 1/30

2012-01-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

IMM is a meme started at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library.

Mailbox Monday can be found at: The Printed Page

This week I got seven books. You can watch the the video below to learn more about them or click on the cover below to go to Amazon to read a synopsis.

Hope you all had a great week and got some great books. Also hope you have a wonderful week of reading ahead of you.

For Review:

Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James
The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet
The Humming Room by Ellen Potter
The Master of Misrule by Laura Powell

Paperbackswap.com:

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Library:

Wicked Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 5) by Linda Robertson

Graphic Novel Review - Bake Sale by Sara Varon (4/5 stars)

2012-01-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

Reading level: All Ages
Genre: Graphic Novel
Size: 160 pages
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: August 30, 2011
ISBN: 978-1596434196
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

I borrowed a copy of this graphic novel from my library; it was a cute book that I enjoyed reading with my son. It wasn't awe-inspiring or anything just a cute book about running a bakery and friendship.

Cupcake runs a bakery and is dying to meet his baking idol Turkish Delight. When his friend Eggplant says he is going to Turkey to meet his aunt Cupcake thinks it is the perfect time to make his lifelong dream come true. Cupcake works very hard to make extra money to make his dream of meeting Turkish Delight come true. Will he make enough money to join Eggplant on an excursion to Turkey?

This was a cute book that gives some insight into how a bakery runs. My son and I enjoyed the cute pictures and the talking food. It touches on some good lessons as well. Basically Cupcakes has to work hard to make his dreams come true. When something bad happens to Eggplant, Cupcake has to make a tough decision about what is more important to him his personal dream or his friendship. It is a great lesson on hard work and the value of friendship.

There are a number of delicious looking recipes sprinkled throughout the book. I didn't get a chance to try any of them and would be curious about if they are any good. The pictures are simple and colorful, super cute and fun to look at.

Overall I enjoyed reading this. It was a cute read that addresses some good life lessons while showing how a bakery is run. It's a graphic novel the whole family can read together. To be honest it probably isn't something I would read again or go out and buy, but it was a quick read and a sweet diversion. I'll be interested to see what Varon comes up with in the future. I'd recommend this as a great read for the graphic novel baking enthusiast in your family.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

News - Book Releases for Week 5 (Jan 29th - Feb 4th)

2012-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Review - The Dragon's Tooth (The Ashtown Burials, Book 1) by N.D. Wilson (4/5 stars)

2012-01-27T00:46:00.000-08:00

Reading level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Size: 496 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-0375864391
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Ashtown Burials series
Source: From Amazon Vine for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through Amazon Vine. The book starts out a bit slow but ends up being a solid and engaging middle grade adventure and fantasy read.

Cyrus, Antigone, and Dan Smith live in a rundown motel that they barely make a living running. When an old tattooed man shows up demanding to stay in a certain room things start changing fast. Within hours of the man's arrival the motel is burnt to the ground, Dan is missing, and Cyrus and Antigone are whisked away to the Order of Brendan.

I thought the book started a bit slow, but as it progressed it picked up pace quickly and introduced the reader to an adventurous and fantastical, if grungy, world. I liked that the book followed both Antigone and Cyrus; it made the book easy for both boys and girls to relate to and engage with.

The Order of Brendan is an order the kids' parents belonged to and an Order that doesn't like the Smith children much because of things that their past relations have done. Cyrus and Antigone are faced with with a lot of hatred from the moment they arrive at the Order of Brendan. They find help in unexpected places though and discover the secrets behind the keys and tooth that the old tattooed man left with Cyrus.

In their exploration of the halls and corridors of the Order of Brendan they find adventure and surprises at every turn. They also find some nifty magical items and meet some fascinating people. Soon though they are on a run for their lives as a very evil man seeks possession of the tooth that Cyrus was given.

Cyrus and Antigone were wonderful characters I enjoyed reading about them and enjoyed the stoicism with which they accepted all of the horrible situations they were put in. They always tried to make the best of things and persevere; they supported each other with bravery and determination.

I loved the Order of the Brenden and all of the secrets that were in its halls. There is a ton of adventure in this book. There are also traitors, spies, and some scary bits...so only for middle grade or older. I should mention the book takes place in a lot of creepy and gross settings. From the moldy and bug infested motel the characters start in, to the water-logged stone halls with scuttling Whip Spiders that they are forced to sleep in at the Order of Brendan; there is a lot of yucky in this book. I found myself wondering how they could ever sleep in those conditions and got a little itchy from time to time. Still, the descriptions were wonderful and really made the settings come alive.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was an excellent middle grade adventure fantasy and I enjoyed the world and the characters. You never knew what crazy character you would run into next or what fantastic magical thing you would find around the corner. I highly recommend this to fans of middle grade fantasy. If you enjoyed Fablehaven by Brandon Mull or The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens you should definitely give this book a try.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge