For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother--a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.
I think The Fairy-Tale Detectives may be my favorite middle grade book I've read this year. The world Michael Buckley created is so much fun and filled with so many of my favorite fairy tale characters. Sabrina, and her little sister, Daphne, are sent to live with their Granny Relda, after their parents' disappear. Daphne is thrilled to finally get to meet her grandmother, but Sabrina is not to be fooled. The girls were told that their grandmother had passed on. Sabrina wants nothing more than to escape.
After much convincing, she realizes that Granny Relda is indeed their grandmother, and they are descended from the Brothers Grimm. Sabrina and Daphne must save Granny Relda and a whole host of fairy tale characters from the giants that have been unleashed on their town. But who planted the beans and allowed the giants down on earth? There are so many twists and turns, and the mystery is really well developed, that it's hard to see the end coming. And, to be honest, I read this so fast, I didn't have time to think about what was going to come next.
Growing up, I loved fairy tales. And not just the Disney versions. And this series brings all the characters together. Whether you're a kid like Sabrina or the same age as Granny Relda (or somewhere in between) this is a fabulous, fun book that the entire family can enjoy. Read it. Trust me; you won't be disappointed.
In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.
Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.
As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.
I received an arc of The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent for review. It's set in an alternate Victorian London and follows Vespa Nyx and Syrus Reed. Vespa is a young woman who lives with her father and aunt (her father's sister) and lives for working in her father's museum. This museum is filled with "unnaturals" which includes a sphinx, silphids, and other oddities. She longs to be a Pedant, but women aren't allowed to become take on that role. Syrus is a tinker. He lives with his family in the forest. They have their own village and way of life. They practice magic and are feared. But i much preferred their way of life over the "normal" people.
I don't want to say too much because there are a lot of twists and turns, and Tiffany Trent definitely keeps us guessing. Vespa is not who we initially believe her to be. Neither is Syrus. In fact, Pedant Lumin, Vespa's father, and a whole host of characters have secrets that you'll be dying to figure out. I really liked Vespa and Syrus. I loved that in this world Charles Darwin is considered a saint. And Arthur Rackham is named. There were a lot of little things that made my geeky self grin while reading.
One thing I really liked about The Unnaturalists, one thing that stood out and deserves a mention, was the lack of romance between the two main characters. Most every YA book I've read has romance. And while I'm not opposed to romance, it tends to be as big a plot point as the paranormal stuff going down. So this was a refreshing change. And have you seen this cover? The picture in this post is pretty, but you really must hold it in your hands to fully appreciate it. It's one of my favorite covers of all of 2012. And while you have this book in your hands, check out the first few chapters. Trust me, you'll not want to put this book down.
“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.
I've been a fan of Maggie Stiefvater's books since I read Lament before most people had heard her name. And I've read each book as they've come out, or as an arc if I've been lucky enough to get my hands on a copy. I got my hands on a copy of The Raven Boys from my wonderful friend Sandy of Scribing Shadows. She is fantastic for sending it to me!
I loved this book. Her writing gets better with almost every book she puts out, and this book is no different. It might not be my favorite Maggie Stiefvater book, but Ballad and The Scorpio Races are hard to top! The Raven Boys makes a good effort to top them. Blue lives with her family. All women. All psychic. Blue is not, but her presence makes the rest of her family's powers stronger. She goes to the church on St. Mark's Eve, to watch the procession of people who are going to die soon. And she sees a young boy. Her age. But why can she see him? The response: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.” But, really, it could be both, since her true love is destined to die if she kisses him.
But he's not just any boy. His name is Gansey, and he is a Raven Boy. The Raven Boys go to an all boys private school, Aglionby Academy, and Blue doesn't like a single one of these rich, pretentious teen guys. But Blue and Gansey (and his friends) are thrown together to figure out a mystery or two. Or three.
One of the best things about this story were the twists and turns. I really didn't know what to expect in this book. Even after reading it, I'm not sure if I would call it a contemporary with paranormal elements or and paranormal that at first seems contemporary. And it is so well pieced together, that you can't see the surprises coming. At least, I couldn't. And that is one of the signs of a really good book for me. The Raven Boys is not like any other novel I've read. And I don't believe there's another one out there that even comes close in terms of the plot. Whether or not you've read anything by Maggie, I imagine you'll love the first book in The Raven Cycle. I can't wait for book two!
And... if that's not enough for you to want to pick this book up, check out the amazing animated trailer Maggie Stiefvater made. She is amazingly talented.
And be sure to check out Maggie Stiefvater's site for Raven Boys to meet the characters, view extras, and even download the song from the trailer.
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.
I'm sad to admit that I had Across the Universe by Beth Revis on my shelf since it came out. And I just read it earlier this year. I was going to get to meet Beth (who is hilarious, btw) again, so I wanted to have read something of hers. There were things that I loved and things that I did didn't.
I really liked Amy. She was born on Earth and cryogenically frozen to be moved to a new planet on a journey that will take 3 centuries. Elder was an interesting character as well. He was born aboard after many, many generations have lived on the ship. They are from two completely different worlds. I loved that Beth told this story between both main character's points of view. Amy narrated one chapter, and then Elder, and then Amy, and so on... I completely got Amy's thoughts and ideas, but Elder... his thinking is so off because of the way he was raised, the way Earth's history had been skewed.
It took my two months to finish the book. I found the beginning very boring. I would have gotten through it much faster and enjoyed it much more if it hadn't taken a quarter of the book for Amy to wake up from being frozen. One quarter of the book... She was waking up around page 100. I put the book down and almost didn't pick it back up. But I did because I had friends who loved it. And I'm glad I did. But if you haven't reached page 100 and have given up, skim ahead. It'll pick up. I promise.
If you have the hard back, and haven't taken the jacket cover off, do it. It has blueprints of the ship on the under side. When I met Beth Revis, she said her inspiration for the ship, was the ship on Futurama. I can see it.
In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.
That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.
When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?
Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.
Holly Black’s latest novel, Red Glove, is even more amazing than White Cat, (book one in The Curse Workers series). Cassel Sharpe is back at Wallingford Preparatory for his senior year with his best friend Sam, and Sam’s girlfriend, Daneca. Lila Zacharov, the mob boss’ daughter, has also enrolled. The harder Cassel tries to stay away from her, the harder it gets.
Red Glove dives right into the story, back into the world I fell in love with in White Cat. A place where people are born with the ability to curse, but since no one knows who’s a curse worker and who isn’t, everyone is forced to wear gloves. A bare hand elicits terror from those who fear being cursed… which seems to be pretty much everyone.
Cassel Sharpe is one of my favorite male characters in any YA series. He’s also the narrator. That’s another thing I love about this series: first person, male point of view. It’s something we don’t get a lot of in young adult literature. Personally, I like most of the characters in this series. The characters all interact and respond in a way that is completely believable. They stay true to themselves. Despite this being a world where magic exists, it feels very real. It’s a world I’m glad I don’t live in, to be honest.
The curse working makes this book stand out against the other young adult urban fantasy, where we get a lot of vampires, witches, faeries, etc… It’s a nice way to shake things up, read something different. And another thing I love about this series is the “blowback”. Blowback is what happens to a curse worker after working a curse. It’s retribution for what they’ve done… Karma… And I love that it’s worked in here because I think it doesn’t happen often enough that people have direct consequences for their actions.
Amazing novel, Holly! I seriously can’t wait until book three, Black Heart, hits shelves.
Be sure to check out The Curse Worker’s site for a short story called Lila Zacharov in 13 Pieces, a fantastic book trailer, and extras!
I bought books 2-4 in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard a while back because I found them cheap at a used book store. But I was never too inclined to read them. To be honest, I think the covers turned me off. But when I heard they were turning this into a television series for ABC Family, I decided I should read it. So I recently got the first book, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, and I read the entire thing in one day.
I wasn't really expecting much. But I loved it. I could NOT put it down. It takes place three years after Alison disappears. The four remaining friends have grown apart. Each chapter jumped from one girl to the next, giving you enough time to learn about them in the present and past without lingering too long on one girl.
I think one of the reasons I enjoyed the novel so much was the DRAMA! I hate drama in my own life. But in others... it's fine. I can get my daily does of drama without having to deal with it in my own life. And to be honest, I feel better about myself knowing what these girls are dealing with. In high school, I was pretty much the opposite of these four, and I'm thankful for it. I had my own fair share of drama, but Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily create their own.
I've already started book two, FLAWLESS, because... well... I'm a little addicted.
Synopsis:
Everyone has something to hide - especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.
Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. And Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.
But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.
How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were and the naughty girls they are now. And guess what? I'm telling.
And be sure to check out the ABC Family Original series which starts a week from tonight, June 8, 2010. I can honestly say I'm excited about this show. Holly Marie Combs (Piper from Charmed) plays the Mom of one of the four girls. It's from the producers of The Vampire Diaries... one of my favorite shows!
Check out http://wwwprettylittleliars.com/ for more info about the books. There are links for twitter, facebook, and more. Enter to win all seven books, and shop for PPL merchandise. Oh, and turn yourself into a pretty little liar. See me below:
I've had VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead on my shelf for a while now. I met her last weekend and decided I needed to read this before meeting her. I was halfway through when I got it signed, and just now finished it. I really enjoyed it. Despite it being about vampires, it was very different from other vampire novels.
Rose, a Dhampir, is the narrator. She's a half-vampire. Her mother is a Dhampir, like her, and her father was a Moroi. A Moroi is a full vampire, though they are living and therefore mortal. The Stirgoi are the baddies. Regular blood-thirsy fiends, immortal, and bad. Any Moroi or Dhampir can be changed into one, against their will or by choice.
As a Dhampir, Rose is destined to protect the Moroi, specifically her best friend, Lissa. They ran away from the academy for a number of reasons, but basically to protect Lissa. They're found and brought back in chapter one. The academy is safe... supposedly.
I loved Rose and Lissa's friendship, and Dimitri... *swoon* I can't wait to read the next in this seires: FROSTBITE, followed by SHADOW KISS, BLOOD PROMISE and SPIRIT BOUND (due out later this month).
Synopsis:
St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school - it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, A Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're dragged back to St. Vladimir's - the very place where they're most in danger...
Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi - the world's most dangerous vampires - make Lissa one of them forever.
I picked up this book for three reasons: my friend Tiger, a blurb by Melissa Marr, and bean sidhes.
I had the hardest time starting this book. It seemed whenever I picked it up, I had less time than I had hoped. I had picked it up ten times over the course of a week and was only a few chapters in. So last night I turned off all electronics and vowed to read at least a few chapters. I almost finished it. And then I finished it off this morning. The first few chapters are a little slow, and you get a lot of backstory, but once Kaylee finds out what she is, the story really picks up. There were a few reveals at the end that I had figured out earlier on, but there was one twist I had not seen coming.
This story was amazing, and I highly recommend it. I can't wait to get my hands on the second one. But in the meantime, I'm going to read the online prequel, My Soul to Lose. You can find it here: http://rachelvincent.com/MSTL.html
I'm a 30-year-old bookaholic. I read mostly young adult, but I also enjoy some middle grade, adult urban fantasy, manga, and graphic novels. I review them here, along with movies and music I love. Comments are always welcome.
If you're an author or publisher and would like me to review a book, host a contest, or publish an author interview or guest post, you can email me at aine.onetwistedpixie at gmail dot com.
Note: I am backed up on reviews. If I promised you one, I will get to it. I'm sorry if it's taken longer than expected. When requesting a review, please include the synopsis in the email.
, is even more amazing than 
, (book one in The Curse Workers series). Cassel Sharpe is back at Wallingford Preparatory for his senior year with his best friend Sam, and Sam’s girlfriend, Daneca. Lila Zacharov, the mob boss’ daughter, has also enrolled. The harder Cassel tries to stay away from her, the harder it gets.
