Reaction to... Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

"'Why now? Why not wait for a man to come along and... sweep you off your feet?'
She gave a short laugh. 'If the man you speak of had ever planned on coming, my lord, I'm afraid he has obviously lost his way. And, at twenty-eight, I find I have grown tired of waiting.'"

I am late to the metaphoric party, I know, but I have just discovered the wondrous delights of Sarah MacLean, and all because of a stray kindle deal that caught my eye. Historical fiction? Not necessarily my cup of tea, which is why I sometimes have a hard time with historical fantasy, as I quickly grow uninterested in the written political aspects of it that they can center on. Historical romance, though? I've never had a problem, and MacLean has reminded me exactly why. All I want now is more, more, all.

I've always kept my eyes peeled for this series because I remember how hasty the crowd gathered for it, but I was so pleasantly surprised by how delicious, fun, and character-centric Nine Rules turned out to be. There are rarely any better stories than that of the unrepentant, untouchable rake falling for the lady, and I quite simply adored the way the lovely Lady Calpurnia, who never believed she was worth love, burrowed her way into the heart no one would believe the emotionless, wicked Marquess of Ralston had.

Each character—from the cheeky Marianna to the dressmaker Herbert—reached me, each awesomely scandalous item (think smoking cheroot, gambling at a men's club) on Callie's list of nine items to experience warmed me, made me have fun, made me laugh.

Especially when all of her shenanigans somehow include the unsuspecting Ralston, who, without realizing, becomes her partner in crime.

Callie's transition from lonely self-proclaimed spinster to a beautiful, adventurous woman gave me the urge to cuddle something, I was so toasty warm. She's the kind of girl who desperately needs a hug, a wake up call, and some fun, and she gets all three along the way so that your leaping for joy at her transformation into a woman she can enjoy, be proud of, and one who can win the heart of her long-time love.

I'm happily basking in adoration for this book, because while it has no small degree of a mind-candy feel to it, there are some powerful stuff in this book as well to balance it out and keeping it from being a mere feel-good romance. I'm so impressed by this first book, I can't wait to explore the many other options MacLean has presented before me.

I shall be invested quite a while, methinks.

Paperback / 422 pgs / Mar 30th 2010 / Avon / Goodreads / $7.99

I bought myself an e-book of this because it was a kindle deal.

It's happened. I'm a Throne of Glass Ambassador.

At last, this day has come. I’m so proud of me.

It pays to be so consistently insistent about the things I love.



And so slavishly grateful to Bridget and Bloomsbury for giving me this remarkable opportunity to be part of Sarah’s army of badass fans. We’re armed with trailers, reviews, exclusive content and scenes, and bribes giveaways for the coming weeks leading up to the release of CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, the second book in this series, and a book I’ve already had the great pleasure of reading in advance. I know, I’ll try not to taunt you too much; I don’t want to run the risk of having anyone curse me as I’m unbelievably superstitious.

Looking back on my starry-eyed reaction to THRONE OF GLASS last summer and the little teaser reactions I did for the BEA titles I’ve read thus far, one of which included CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, it should come as no surprise that I would take this chance to help endorse one of my favorite series out there. Seriously, I try not to be fool.

I’ve mentioned this before—it’s beyond me to understand the heart of those who could turn away from Celaena and her story, who can’t or won’t understand her and love her. She is much more than the assassin on the new cover, more than a lethal young woman who can take down an arena of criminals in a competition. Small Review describes her perfectly in her recent post on the cover changes: “Sure she probably looks JUST like that cover picture in a few scenes. Rage burning, weapons out, and a look that says, "I.WILL.END.YOU." There are definitely some scenes like that.

But she's also a girl, and I think that defines her much more than her assassin traits.

She's a girl who likes pretty dresses and swoony romances and glamorous parties and emotional music. She plays with her puppy and has giggly tea parties with her best friend. She eats chocolate cakes (like, the whole cake) and she likes glittery decorations. She frequently indulges in shopping sprees. She loves deeply and she treasures her friends (and, please tagline, she does NOT have a "heart of ice"). These are all the reasons I love her as a character and want to be her friend.”

This is why Small Review and I have impromptu sessions of geekdom over the series— because we both love Celaena deeply. It’s my wish that with my reviews for the series, with the coming weeks' treasures related to the series, that you’ll find something in my posts to connect you to this series until you’re nearly without choice about reading it.



For those beastly fangirls of the series, you’re among friends. And I can only imagine how distraught and overcome with jealousy I’d be if others were reading CROWN OF MIDNIGHT before and without me. I don’t know that I can help each one of you with that, but at least you can feel safe in the knowledge that this book will be arriving in your hands next month. And there’s so much to look forward to.

This book takes on a much darker tone. There’s so much more blood, death, and atrocity, the very things that will ultimately push Celaena to a brink she hasn’t visited since before her time in the mines of Endovier. The carnage will be great, but it’s Celaena’s deadly transition sparked by the underestimation from her enemies that serves as one of the major highlights. I encourage you guys to gobble up any reviews you can to get you pumped, because you’ll need that adrenaline to help you through what’s to come.

More, there’s so much more emotion in this sequel as well. More sleuthing and mystery-solving, more sadness and remorse, more scars done to our protagonist. It’s as heartwrenching as it is thrilling, and just as puzzling as its predecessor.



Sarah J. Maas has written one of my soul series. You know, books that speak to something in you, a set of books that are all about the kind of things you enjoy reading. I love reading about girls who actually care about what they wear or what they put on their face because it’s fun, who enjoy being a girl, while still acknowledging and utilizing their own strengths and never allowing anyone to make them forget those strengths. I love reading about magic and books within a book and maps and questing and ancient royalty and piecing together the past to understand how they affect both present and future. I love that Sarah can write romance, and a romance that suits. I love reading about emotions, about the fear that can hinder and the bravery that arises out of that fear, about compassion and loyalty and friendship. It’s all these things that make THRONE OF GLASS and CROWN OF MIDNIGHT equally incredible.

You would do well to check them out. If not now, then allow me to convince you. Because this is a story I would want EVERYONE to try; it’s precious to me, and sometimes I’m not that greedy. This is one of those times. Let me share with you.

Early Reaction to... BEA TITLE #1: The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (The Elemental Trilogy, #1)

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
Let’s be real here: you could tell me either cover for THE BURNING SKY was making it to the publication wing and I’d do a shimmy around my house I love both so much. I’m a little partial to the first cover, maybe, as I think it really nails the depiction of the catalyst scene in the story, but I don’t mind the new one one bit. Let’s be even realer: who cares when this book is so darn awesome?

SUMMARY:It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.

Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he's also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to revenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.

But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
Iolanthe Seabourne may be one of the greatest elemental mages out there—to her constant surprise and somewhat remaining disbelief—but no one knows. Because to know of the depth of her gifts risks the attention of Atlantis—and it’s cold-blooded leader who is rumored to have collected mages like her over the years and never returned them to their homes. Iolanthe’s time, however, is coming, as it’s been foreseen. It’s watched for at the same hour every day by Prince Titus—a royal from a noble house that lacks true power who is eager to fulfill his prophetic mother’s wish and avenge his once great family. On the day in which Iolanthe is forced to restore a batch of elixir, at last Titus beholds the sign he’s waited his whole life for, and it begins.

A column of pure white light, so distant it was barely more than a thread, so brilliant it nearly blinded the the prince, burst into existence.
He stood mute and amazed for an entire minute before something kicked him hard in the chest, the realization that this was the very sign for which he had waited half his life.

Scared though he may be, unprepared though he might feel, Titus brings himself swiftly to action and to the charred mage left at the top of a blackened rooftop.

Prince Titus, however, is not the only one ready to whisk her away into the unknown. Servants of Atlantis—including the chilling Inquisitor—are on the hunt for the mage capable of such an event and will search every town, will interrogate every suspect until the girl is found. And so Titus does the only thing he can think of (and has already mostly planned for): he helps Iolanthe masquerade as a boy attending the non-magical all boys’ school he’s received his education from most of his life. With the Bane and his henchmen not far behind them, and with spies lurking about to sniff out their secrets, Titus must also be quick in convincing Iolanthe of her destiny—to face the most powerful mage of their time in battle alongside him—and prepare her for what’s to come.

But he can’t prepare for the one thing that could alter his plans—the attachment, the feelings that arise for the girl he’s devoted to protecting and committed to bringing with him to probable slaughter.

WHERE WE GO:
One moment we’re at Iolanthe’s door, watching her foolishly do something with no concept of the repercussions, and then we’re with her at the top of a building that holds a MASSIVE crater of late, breathing shakily as a terrifying thrill works through us layered over the anticipation of facing enemies she has no idea she has. Within the next moment, we’re vaulting to an unknown destination with a trunk as our vessel, unsure of what lies ahead. And then we’re with Titus in a Muggle-esque institution, holding our breaths because we’re all uncertain of Iolanthe’s ability to disguise herself well.

I constantly felt with them as the scenery changed, as the plot moved around to incorporate each obstacle. From ancient storybook training grounds (which is A LOT flyer than it sounds!) to inside the depths of the Inquisitor’s interrogation chambers, there is so much happening and so many different places gone through that the last thing THE BURNING SKY could be is boring. A little slow, maybe, but nonetheless fascinating overall.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
I’m not gonna lie, it’s so much more difficult for me to get in touch with characters when we’re dealing with a third person narration. While on the one hand I like the versatility and the potential for diverse points of view, there’s this intrinsic distance that’s hard to shake off. After a while though, that ceased being a problem because of Iolanthe’s—without a better alternative in mind—realness. This girl is stubborn and fierce, but she’s not unbelievably righteous and brave, especially at the get when a certain royal stranger is talking about taking down the Bane, their unspoken dictator, all off of a prophecy spouted off by a self-proclaimed seer. Heck no, she doesn’t want to bring this guy down very likely at the cost of her life, and certainly not after her guardian risked his own to help her preserve hers. She’s got a good mix in her of practicality and genuine fear to be a believable heroine.

In her heart she was beginning to understand that it was truly written in the stars, her destiny. Yet it still seemed utterly impossible that she would ever find the audacity to face the Bane, she who had lived such a small life, so tightly focused only on the well-being of her own family.

Because, really, before The Incident nobody had any reason to suspect her of being capable of great elemental magic; she’s not being persecuted or pursued—at least she wasn’t—so what cause does she have to fight for? What would be her drive in this mad plot against the Bane? There’s not enough anger, not enough duty in her or a tie that could bring her into the fight—yet. She’s not where Titus is at—with a set goal, fighting for something because of the love he has for his mother, a love that ties him to the promise he made and that angers him enough to need to avenge her death.

But as these two grow closer, neither of them ever considering the possibility of that happening when their relationship is tenuously cordial at best in the beginning, they become these companions, friends—and almost more than—and that prevents them from driving apart in two directions. It’s very simple. If Titus needs to do this thing, Iolanthe will follow him; if Iolanthe will be in mortal danger doing so, Titus would give his own life to see this done without harm come to her. It becomes just a basic matter of accepting these as inarguable truths and how best to proceed and I LOVE THAT. There is so much room for potential between these two and they haven’t even hit the top of the jug yet, leaving me with bated breath over what could POSSIBLY happen between them.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Archer Fairfax
2. A Canary And The Tub
3. The Crucible
4. A Little Of Kashkari
5. Meeting in Cape Wrath

I never get enough of good, solid, quite close to breathtaking fantasy to add the collection of awesome titles I’ve been privileged to read, and so I can barely express how much I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. With even stronger development, and more depth into the relationship between Titus and Iolanthe, I’m sensing this may end up as a special shelf series. BUT, I’m reserving judgment just now until I see what’s next.

Even so, this is a riveting mash-up of excellent writing, great characters, and fascinating world-building that's a little like a salute to Harry Potter—what else do you need? My only hope is that Thomas’s success continues in the next book in The Elemental Trilogy.

Hardcover / 464 pgs / Sept 17th 2013 / Balzer + Bray / Goodreads / $17.99

I acquired an ARC from Book Expo America at the Harper Collins booth.

Reaction to.... The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
I’m never too old for big faced ladies on a cover, even if she doesn’t look THAT Asian (or not at all, really, so boo), but there was something chilling and dark about THE IMMORTAL RULES , while still giving off enough emotion to be intriguing with the stone-cold face carrying a dripping tear around—which is the perfect way to portray Allison, Asian or no. With THE ETERNITY CURE it’s a little bit like chocolate cake for the eyes, with it’s beautiful design and it’s bold yet simple color scheme, BUT as you’re devouring it you don’t stop to think of what’s inside. So while this cover satisfies my superficial and immediate needs, if I’d walked past this cover in a bookstore I wouldn’t have a clue about what this is supposed to be about. While I’m not sure that’s a good thing, I know that I’d still stop and read the dust jacket because it IS eye-catching. So, ultimately, it’s a well-done for you, Harlequin Teen.

SUMMARY: Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

I swear, consistency and I are old friends and we hang out as often as possible, but I can’t be consistent if I HAVEN’T EVEN FINISHED A BOOK. Working is no party, my friends, as I’m sure many of you know, so, yes, I’d try to go home to THE ETERNITY CURE and get going on it but then my worn body would give out EVERY SINGLE TIME. Now, I know why grownups are so miserable: they CAN’T EVEN read.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
Stepping away from her fantastical, decidedly light-in-comparison world of the Nevernever, last year Julie Kagawa spun an entirely new realm for us, one filled with darkness, where, by the time we crack open the cover, the last of the bright spots are rapidly going out. The world that has been left behind after the spread of the deadly, mutating Red Lung virus is one of ash, blood, broken minds, and hopeless souls. It is the picture of a ravaged humanity, where people have been mostly reduced to their most basic and most imperative of functions: survival. As heart-breaking, tragic, raw, and blunt as that. Trust, happiness, and affection are forgotten things, like books and reading. In THE IMMORTAL RULES, we navigated through this world with Allison the Fringer at the helm, then experienced the horror of being the vulnerable passenger as the imminent collision that would change everything hurtled closer.

Allie the Vampire might as well be a separate entity all together. Living from in the shoes of a genuine monster has forced her to grow at a speed that’s as unnatural as the fangs that protrude when Hunger arises. And from beginning to the end of THE IMMORTAL RULES, Allie learns what it is to bond, love, and befriend. But happiness can’t last for long, not in this dilapidated world and not for a vampire.

With a new mission and a new course set ahead, Allie is on the hunt for her sire, a man whom she attaches the most complicated of bonds—strictly familial, I’m afraid—and whose sanity and existence is in peril even for an immortal as old and powerful as he. Taking place less than a year after THE IMMORTAL RULES, Allie’s quest hasn’t gone as intended, and will continue it’s downward spiral in THE ETERNITY CURE.

WHERE WE GO:
I remember some people mentioning that THE IMMORTAL RULES was a little slow at the starting line, and I know I didn’t have that problem. I discovered that, annoyingly, this time around with THE ETERNITY CURE. But, true to Kagawa’s talent it picks up well and pretty quickly, and that initial slow start almost serves a purpose. Like any thrill ride of life, where you think you’ve got it in the bag because it’s appearance is deceiving, the illusion is what builds the terror or the anxiety. In this case, I don’t think I would’ve been quite so wound-up if it hadn’t been for that sly opening.

You’d think that after THE IMMORTAL RULES, where we traveled from within the Inner Wall and the Fringe inside a vampire city, the outside toward a camp of remaining humans in search of a rumored haven, I’d’ve seen it all. But, one thing Kagawa is really good at doing is creating a new landscape within an already existing one. From Old D. C.—where poor Abe is barely hanging on—inside a White House under new management to the underground web of sewers leading to the heart of the Rabids nest and beneath the Fringe where the mole men are said to lurk, there are far darker places to tread.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Allie hasn’t undergone a shocking and unexpected metamorphosis since last we were with her. She’s still the same cold, expressionless badass katana wielder capable of many dark deeds and is only willing to leash the blood-sucking monster within her to a point, toeing the line that meets with her own standards. She is accepting of her new nature, what she is and isn’t capable of doing, but she’s chosen the kind of monster she has become, as Kanin would say, and I would say one that could even be termed honorable, if nothing else. With a strong, stubborn will and a katana strapped to her back, I firmly believe there isn’t much this girl can’t take on.

‘Cept maybe Jackal, the once and future raider king. I didn’t get any awesomeness vibes from him in THE IMMORTAL RULES, but man, was my doubt foiled! THIS DUDE.



If Puck were in a vampire book, where he was a malicious, unrepentant raider king who is cunning and mostly evil and slightly more witty, he would be Jackal. Don’t let me unintentionally deceive you: Puck and Jackal are not one in the same. AT ALL. But, oh, I do love good parallels. At first, his attempts at being annoyingly arrogant and witty were actually annoying, because I kind of thought here comes this typical character set up to be the comic relief or whatever. But, that quickly went away when I realized how wrong I was.


Yes, I’d always suspected this but…

Unfortunately, as often as they gave me happy chills and other cheerfully dirty thoughts, I wasn’t feeling the romance between Zeke and Allison as much. Some of the actual scenes, were, as I kind of hinted, pretty sexay and feels-ridden, but mostly they felt out of place and thrown together oddly. Whenever there was an affectionate quip or public kiss , whatever the case, I was never fully into it because I kept thinking something like, uh, guys, her Sire is RIGHT THERE, Jackal is RIGHT THERE, and ALSO: THERE ARE DEADLY THINGS EVERYWHERE. So not the bloody time. Not the time. Cool the pants fire.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Running Into Jackal
2. Infiltrating A Nest Of Rabids… With Jackal
3. Finding The Mole Men… With Jackal
4. Running Into Zeke… With Jackal
5. Oh! And, Uh, Jackal
6. THE ENDING so fucked up, Julie

I’ve gotta stop promising I’ll not do the whole “THE ENDING!” following –Insert Wavy Hand Gestures As An Attempt At Eerieness And Drama- because I’m a liar. But, seriously, even as I saw it coming, I still couldn’t contain the shock and awe… and anticipation. Mostly, because yes I’m looking forward to more badassery on Jackal’s part, but also because I imagine that The Forever Song is going to have some PRETTY EPIC STUFF involved. Not to mention that a certain psychotic vamp has once again been thwarted by our Allison Sekemoto (if his limb deduction is any indication).



And I’m SURE his vengeance will create a catastrophic quake in Allison’s world.

Hardback / 446 pgs / April 30th 2013 / Harlequin Teen / Goodreads / $16.99

I received an e-galley of this book from Harlequin Teen via Netgalley.

Reaction to... Night School by C.J. Daugherty

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
In the UK cover design, all there is is a big-faced girl kind of blurred out of focus doing some weird pose with her hand. Other than the red hair, nothing about that cover is cool. Now in my country, we’ve done something a little different. Or A LOT different, and it is so much more awesome! Deliciously enigmatic with all the nighttime stuff going around in the background while an ominous-looking building peers out from the shroud of black and blue. I like that, with the girl heading towards it on the bottom, it looks as if it’s the only light out there, giving the illusion of the possibility of a safe place, when really safe is the last thing it is.

It’s really beautiful, and maybe if I liked this book, I’d have given in and bought it. But, oh, right, I didn’t like this book. I wish I was as impressed with this story as I am with the foliage on the cover.

SUMMARY: Allie's world is falling apart...

She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she's just been arrested.

Again.

Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn't know a soul.

But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she's happy there. She's making friends. And then there's Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.

Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
Allie is a sad, cynical, bitter teenager who makes a mockery of the system every chance she gets, having been arrested a few times in the same year by engaging in rebellion and all that. At last, with her most recent arrest fresh in their minds, her parents have had enough. They’ve had enough of the poor behavior, poor attitude, and lack of respect for the rules; it doesn’t matter that her brother, Christopher, has been missing for a while and that this is really the cause of Allie’s malfunction as a person. So they say, as many parents have done before them—why didn’t my parents ever suggest boarding school, I wonder?—that it is off to Cimmeria Academy for her, where everyone seems to have been attending all their lives and The Rules are suspiciously strict (girlfriend can’t even whip out an iPhone without a serious case of dramalama because The Rules say no computerized technology, and so it makes sense why these kids are so damn crazy).

Little does she know, however, that Cimmeria Academy is not an ordinary boarding school (didn’t you guess?). Everyone is super secretive around her, and though she makes some friends, people are drunkenly falling off buildings and getting attacked by growling "foxes," turning up with their throats slit in the middle of a raging fire, and her headmistress is super hush hush about Allie’s family’s connections, until even the fact that Allie makes a half-insane best friend, two boys are at each other’s throats over her, and she’s actually starting to fit in somewhere, is not enough to mollify Allie. And so the dogged quest for answers begins.

WHERE WE GO:
So the setting of NIGHT SCHOOL by C. J. Daugherty is a boarding school shrouded with mystery. Allie’s never heard of it before, even though it’s obvious that many English rich kids from important families are in attendance. I tried not to roll my eyes at the typical paranormal book setup we’re getting here: girl with an attitude problem ends up on the doorstep of a strange school with even stranger architecture, after which her parents leave her behind and are never heard from again (because what’s a paranormal book without uninvolved parents?). Once she realizes she’s been thrust into a dangerous situation, she receives evasions for her questions, is attacked and manhandled, is fought over by two boys with testosterone issues, and STILL WANTS TO STAY. We recognize this story, yes?

I realize that it looks like I’m in the minority here—what with all these five star ratings on goodreads—but this story is bland and uninventive. Boring. I could’ve ignored that setup I mentioned, because sometimes paranormal book plots don’t stray very far away from each other, but only if that setup had been developed and built upon with interesting layers. Instead the plot meanders to avoid telling us what’s really going on and maybe in an attempt to get me interested enough to care. I didn’t.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Allie, Allie. Al. Whaddup, girlfriend? What the hell is up? At first, she started out as ordinary in that I’ve read many, many main characters just like her. But as I went along, I noticed that there is a little something special, something distinctly Allie about the way she snarks. I started to see some personality, and though I really think she should’ve phoned somebody for help after about five or six chapters in, I did appreciate that she wasn’t willing to take any answers at face value, which were really just shoddy cover ups, even if they were delivered to her by school officials. She questions things and tries to see straight, even if people would rather block her view and continually try to.

But then there came this point where she began to blend into all those other forgotten MCs I’ve sifted through before. Her one defining trait had to be her humor, which I admit, when paired with Carter West, is diabolically awesome and very good fun. I would continue reading this series, on my own time, if only to read scenes between these two. Not so much because Allie likes to climb onto his lap a lot—which is only hot after the first twenty times and then even my eyes start to spazz—but because they have excellent bantering that is very rarely done well when it comes to YA couples in a paranormal setting. They read as friends who like each other and like kissing as opposed to just a girl and guy getting hot for each other.

However, I kid you not, the rest of the characters are a DISASTER area. One girl starts out as a good friend but later turns into a neglected child off her rocker and on the booze. A boy originally liked by the main character is freakishly on top of her every move, showing up randomly and making creepy romantic suggestions, and when she does fall prey to his charm and whatnot, he attempts to take advantage of her. When Allie confronts him about it, the scene that followed made me *head-desk* hard because it read like: “Oh, what’s that? You didn’t drug me so that my inhibitions were lowered enough to go outside with you where you proceeded to grope me without my consent? You just kept refilling my champagne glass every chance you got, making sure my glass was never empty in the hopes to get into my pants when I could barely slur my own name? Oh, well, all right then. Thanks for the honesty.” Like. WHAT.



So she decides never to forgive him or be alone with him, but she tells no one except her immediate friends, who also do nothing (unless you count Carter's menacing glares *rolls eyes*). The whole thing is totes treated like a nonissue, so that bugged me. IMMENSELY.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Carter And Allie Say Funny Things to Each Other... Often

I’m still trying to figure out how this is a paranormal book. Can somebody explain this to me? It has all the telltale signs of a really unimaginative one, but there were nothing but little hints, like growling or “exceptional” hearing or speed. But, honestly, I kept waiting for someone to rip off his shirt and howl into the moonlight, or for Allie to wake up to puncture marks on her neck with all the bedroom window opening going on, but, uh, nada. So kind of a letdown after ALL THAT.



I don’t get where this book was trying to go, but I appreciate the effort. Not really. I’ll read any sequels in my own time and only because I enjoy some of the dialogue, and would maybe enjoy learning answers to stuff. But as far as plot goes, characters (and, eww, the villain is not scary) and setting, this is an unimpressive start to a “paranormal” series.

Hardback / 400 pgs / May 21st 2013 / Katherine Tegen Books / Goodreads / $17.99

I received an e-galley of this book from Harper Collins via Edelweiss.

Reaction to... The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
THE HERO’S GUIDE TO SAVING YOUR KINGDOM by Christopher Healy definitely won out among many of the covers I adored in last year’s releases, so it’s not such a huge leap to make the conclusion that I adore this second book’s cover just as much. For obvious reasons, such as how beautifully crafted the artwork is, and also for more underlying purposes. I love that the cover of THE HERO’S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE is perfectly suitable to the ridiculous and hilarious adventures waiting inside, because it’s quite telling of the characters. With one glance at this cover, you should already have an idea of what these stories will be like.

Good. Because that means I’m justified in giving you reproachful glares if you still manage to pass up the opportunity to crack open the cover.

SUMMARY: Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don't you? They're the Princes Charming who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses - Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose - to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms.

But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long. And when the princes discover that an object of great power might fall into any number of wrong hands, they are going to have to once again band together to stop it from happening - even if no one will ever know it was they who did it.

Christopher Healy, author of the acclaimed The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, takes us back to the hilariously fractured fairy-tale world he created for another tale of medieval mischief. Magical gemstones, bladejaw eels, a mysterious Gray Phantom, and two maniacal warlords bent on world domination - it's all in a day's work for the League of Princes.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
In THE HERO’S GUIDE TO STORMING THE CASTLE we are quickly brought up to speed on the latest happenings since last we were with the League of Princes, and are just as quickly to discover that not much has happened in some time. Nor has there been very much change. You know, one would assume that after defeating an evil witch responsible for the kidnapping of the famous bards in all the land—who are responsible for the misinterpretation of the Princes Charming in each of their respective tales of supposed heroics to begin with—that a little recognition, a little respect for Princes Liam, Gustav, Duncan, and Frederic would be the bare minimum of what they deserve after their individual shows of bravery. But as fiction is prone to showing us, fictional characters, even ones as charming and zany as those we’ve been introduced to in Chris’s incredibly imaginative reinvention, should not expect to get what they want.

A year later, and the bards have still got it wrong, spreading still more exaggerations and partial truths about our poor band of princes. A year later, and Duncan is hard at work on his guide to being a hero, though he remains as adorably random and bizarre as ever; Liam is still scared to return to his homeland where he would no doubt be forced to marry the intolerable Briar Rose; Frederic has reverted to the prince whose qualms were only ever with dust and spotty silverware, unimproved in the art of the sword and terribly likely to cower at the thought of leaving the safety of the castle; and Gustav, well, let’s just say his family and their perception of him hasn’t gotten any better, in fact it’s far worse.

Good thing there’s a small matter of a quest to come, leading the League of Princes right back to each other to pick up again with their disastrous plans and misguided, scattered attempts to save the kingdoms from a pampered, self-entitled royal pain, an eleven-year-old bandit king, and a cruel, evil ruler of a dark foreign land.

WHERE WE GO:
THE HERO’S GUIDE series is sort of what I imagine reading THE PRINCESS BRIDE would be like. PRINCESS BRIDE the film is one of my favorite fairytale-esque parodies, and if ever Healy’s books were made into movies, I feel like that’s what it would be like: varying perspectives, hilarious introspection and misadventures, while still possessing fabulous characters and plot. In STORMING THE CASTLE, so much is coming together at once it could be hard to keep up but it somehow isn’t, even though you could flip from the perspective of one of the Princes to one of the villains fairly quickly and the plot isn’t always chronological. But it works.

What begins as innocent and fun swordplay, with a little teasing at Frederic’s expense, in the middle of the Harmonian palace ends up with an unconscious Liam tossed over the shoulder of a mysterious cowl-wearing kidnapper. Instantly, the adventure flowers before anyone has time to figure out what it’s going to be, with a fast-thinking Frederic hastily sending word for the League of Princes, and uninvited friends, to assemble in the hopes to restore their friend at their sides. But once they regain their unspoken leader, things aren’t as they’d once been and the quest is far from over, so we traverse through various kingdoms and are maneuvered through high-speed wagon chases and impersonate a number of clowns all leading up to the final showdown at the Bandit King’s base of operations/impregnable fortress.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
With Healy’s work this time around, it was slightly difficult to get invested. Every time I tried, I kept getting interrupted. So every time Duncan had an outburst where he formally dubbed a random animal or Liam was hit with a wrecking ball of revealed secrets demolishing his confidence or whatever, people were MAKING NOISE. About how I should be working and not reading, how I should be cleaning and not reading, how I should be eating and not reading. PEOPLE WOULDN’T GO AWAY. Which really pisses me off, since I figure that that has more to do with my small lack of emotional investment than anything that Chris did. He’s so good I don’t even blame him, I blame myself. And every-freaking-one else.

BUT, that didn’t prevent me from noticing some really awesome things. I loved that essentially all the horse poop—Papa Scoots Jr. is the most likely culprit—hit the fan in this installment. We have Liam whose spirit is crushed after learning that the pivotal point during the infancy of his heroism was actually a farce, and is now unsure of every decision he makes, caught in a spiraling span of guilt and doubt. And because of this, I really loved seeing Frederic take the reins in this one. Though an unskilled swordsman he may be, he is an excellent strategist and amasser of loyalties, which proves to be as important a skill as the former. So *MEGA FIST PUMPS*!!

And finally all the princesses have been gathered as well. Although one among them may be a minor villain, it was still fabulous to see these ladies climb aboard this wacky scheme against Deeb Rauber. Yes, they are all perfectly matched to a prince in some way, though not how everyone assumes, but they are NOT just striking accents. They hold their own against each obstacle thrown in the group’s way by their own wit and skill, so DOUBLE YAY.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Deeb Rauber Punishes a Henchman Via Chewed Gum
2. Cinderella’s Heart Drops When Liam Says ‘I Do’
3. Frederic Sees Rapunzel Again
4. Snow White Beans a Few Bandits At the Circus
5. Gustav and Briar Rose Banter With Each Other
6. Little Lila Trains As a Bounty Hunter

Duncan rushed in for a hug, but Gustav sidestepped, allowing his friend to face-plant into a nearby tree. Feeling slightly bad about this, Gustav treated Duncan to a pat on the head. Duncan was satisfied.
"Hey, Mr. Mini-Cape, I see you've got yourself a ride this time," Gustav said, noticing Duncan's horse.
"Ah, yes," Duncan said. "Allow me to introduce Papa Scoots Jr. As you surely remember, the original Papa Scoots ran away last year. I thought I'd never have a horse like that again. But as luck would have it, one summer morning, this fine beast wandered into Papa Scoot's old stable. To make it even more of a coincidence, he looks exactly like Papa Scoots! So I had to name him Papa Scoots Jr. It's like fate."
"Um, Duncan," Frederic said tentatively. "Did you even consider that maybe Papa Scoots just found his way back home? That this is Papa Scoots?"
"Impossible," Duncan said. "Papa Scoots hated me."
And with that, Papa Scoots Jr. kicked Duncan into a bush.

It’s not only a pleasure to read one of Chris Healy’s books, but it’s a warm comfort and a devastation to the stomach muscles, because most of the time there’s nothing but endless laughter. Yes, his stories are imaginative, interesting, and exciting, but nothing beats out that they’re fun, that they’re the kind of books that make me wish my sisters were a little younger so that they would appreciate my reading his books to them (instead of scoffing) and I could get away with doing so without having to come up with excuses. His stories make me want to read them aloud to see who else would laugh, and because I want to share them so much, that in itself proves how much I LOVE HIS BOOKS. He has a way, Chris does, and to think about the wait for the next book in the series is too much torture to have to bear before attempting to sleep at 1am. But, this is a series worth expressing myself over at a hellish hour like this one.

Hardback / 496 pgs / April 30th 2013 / Walden Pond Press / Goodreads / $16.99

I received an ARC of this installment from a publicist at Walden Pond Press.

Reaction to... Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
As most of you know very well—and for those of you that don’t, you’ll probably agree with me anyway—I don’t really like the US covers of the Elemental series. I feel like since the Aussies get SUCH sexy men on their covers, it’s only fair, just, and wise to do the same for us. And so when you compare the two sets of covers side by side, it’s really NO CONTEST.

SUMMARY: Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He has learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can't seem to afford any allies.

He's up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there's Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She's not hostile. She's bold. Funny. Hot. But she's got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down - which means he'll have to find someone he can trust.

When I heard Brigid was flipping Nick Merrick’s story to include Hunter’s first, I was like WHAT THE WHAT? Why would you DO THIS THING? I couldn’t fathom—as much as I enjoy Hunter’s character—anticipating a story about a non-Merrick member more than a sexyandamazing flesh ‘n blood Merrick. Heck, I even said as much when I talked a little about my thoughts on BREATHLESS, a devious little teaser as to what we can look forward to in Nick’s bound-to-be-amazebeans story! And then… you know what happened.

I read the hell out of this damn book, and now I TAKE IT ALL BACK.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
The bummer about this installment taking so long to GET HERE is that I kind of forgot what Hunter Garrity—our manly protagonist in SPIRIT—did to piss everybody and their grandfather (including his) off. OBVS, as the story goes on, a refresher is given, but I really wish I wasn’t left in utter suspense while I desperately wracked my brain for stuff I already knew. Once it’s up here, it stays there, but the trouble is, after a while, it gets to be like walking through a desert in search of a well. But, as I went on in the book, I came to realize something vital (and this is part of why this review won’t run the risk of spoilers): IT DOESN’T MATTER. I mean, it does, when you have a full-grown hot-tempered Fire elemental shoving soup up your shirt, but this story isn’t really centered around ALL THAT. More, this is a book very much grounded in emotional development of a really sad character—which I’d never have thought to label him as in the first place. AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT AWESOME.



WHERE WE GO:
In the literal sense, in terms of background and setting we stay in familiar territory, except now we’re in another person’s head who lives in a different part of town. Emotionally and mentally though? We traverse the dark spaces in Hunter’s mind and get caught up in the strenuous tug-of-war on the battlefield located right in his heart. Poor kid.

But because this is Hunter’s book, we FINALLY get so many answers to questions that have been pecking at our craniums. Hunter’s been this giant enigma throughout the series, and neither I nor the Merrick brothers could ever count on really knowing him, his motives, his past, and how that all was set up to play into the future of the Merrick’s and whether or not they’ll survive this assault on their lives, their family (and its extensions), and their home. NOW WE ALL CAN. So many things have eased up, clouds have disappeared and what I found behind them is enough to make me positively full of gleeful gibberish over where I anticipate this story will go.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
But onto the part of this story I really want to talk about, as 1. it’s the most exceptional aspect and 2. it’s always my favorite aspect to discuss in any book scenario. Hunter Garrity is one of those characters I always have a soft spot for, and what’s so surprising is that I didn’t expect him to fall into this category. There are those characters who seem strong and tough and confident, outwardly, but internally they’re just a disaster area with caution signs posted everywhere, a little reminiscent of perhaps a crime scene. These characters are what I like to think of as Lonely Souls. They carry the weight of the world (or, in some cases, worlds) on their shoulders, but what they don’t realize and usually come to do so is that it’s of their own choosing. A lot of the times they aren’t to blame for doing things the way they have been, because of ALL they’ve experienced and ALL that they feel is at risk if they lose control.

Hunter Garrity is no exception. He stores everything inside, not realizing that he’s desperately in need of another emotional storage rental if he’s going to keep on bottling his reactions up. And I think his battered soul would agree with me when I say, the price is skyrocketing. Hunter is at his breaking point. He believes himself alone, and at this point in his life, that’s truth. Partly because there’s no one around that listens anymore and isn't batshizz CRAY and partly because he’s pushed everyone away who might’ve and still would if given the chance. That doesn’t change the fact that his imminent emotional collapse is HEART-BREAKING. Like, It will do some damage to your soul, if you’re not careful.

Added to that, Hunter is in the unfortunate position of feeling as though he has sides to choose from; he’s convinced himself he hasn’t already made that choice. What is lucky is that there are people in his life who care for him enough to be patient while he works through everything, piling still more love in my soul for the Merrick bros. And as this process stretches—full of mistakes and wrenching moments of doubt—I came to love Hunter.

Gabriel laughed low, under his breath, but not like it was really funny. He turned and walked back to Hunter. "No, jackass. I blame you. Where'd you learn how to be a friend anyway?"
Hunter stared at him. "What does that mean?"
"It means you need to pick a fucking side."

Which is, ultimately, what SPIRIT did for me. It gave me the chance to love a character I wouldn’t have otherwise, because I was so blindsided by the fearsome Merrick foursome, proving what an incredible job Kemmerer has done with this installment!



THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Every Time Hunter Nearly Breaks
2. Gabriel Forces Hunter to Get a Clue
3. Hunter Finally Lets Go On His Mother's Shoulder
4. Kate and Hunter’s Wit-a-thon via Text Message O__O
5. Michael Gets Sexyier and Parental-like
6. ALL THE SEXY UP IN THIS BOOK

"I'd like to kiss you," said Hunter softly. "But I'd really like to try it without any lies between us."
For some reason, that made her eyes burn, and she worried that tears had found their way into her eyes.
His thumb stroked along her cheek, terrible confirmation.
"I don't remember how to do that," she whispered.
A smile found his lips. "How to kiss?"
She squished her eyes shut and shook her head quickly. "How to be true."

THE ENDING. Did I not claim that that is a terrible thing to do in a review, in my last post? Do I have many of my questions answered? Oh, si. Does that mean I am satisfied enough not to wonder anymore about this series? Oh, you sweet naïve fools. Don’t ever convince yourselves of that as a possible outcome after reading this series. The fact that my mind has been looping “I WANTS IT NOW. GIMME THE SIEGE OR PERISH.” the last hour I’ve been writing this review purely because of anticipation as opposed to desperation for answers SAYS ALL THE NECESSARY THINGS, okay?

If you have any doubts about starting this series, let me help squash them: I have a keyboard on my right and a club on my left, which would you prefer?

Paperback / 301 pgs / May 28th 2013 / Kensington Teen / Goodreads / $9.95

I received a copy from Kensington Teen via Netgalley as part of a blog tour hosted by The Midnight Garden.

Reaction to... The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
I know some people don’t dig the bejeweled covers with the model at their center, but I think they’re all really stunning. It could be for reasons as shallow as they’re sparkly or it could be more obscure than that even to me.

SUMMARY: The epic and deeply satisfying conclusion to Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy. The seventeen-year-old sorcerer-queen will travel into the unknown realm of the enemy to win back her true love, save her country, and uncover the final secrets of her destiny.

Elisa is a fugitive in her own country. Her enemies have stolen the man she loves in order to lure her to the gate of darkness. As she and her daring companions take one last quest into unknown enemy territory to save Hector, Elisa will face hardships she's never imagined. And she will discover secrets about herself and her world that could change the course of history. She must rise up as champion-a champion to those who have hated her most. Riveting, surprising, and achingly romantic, Rae Carson has spun a bold and powerful conclusion to her extraordinary trilogy.

You guys. This is absolutely… …

…

Well, I was going to say absolutely my most anticipated sequel release of the year but then I started thinking about Thankless In Death, Storming the Castle, The Fiery Heart, Daylighters, and I could go on and I started to think that when I get all rambunctious and excited my memory short-circuits and I start spouting untruths akin to blasphemy.

Even my cat, Sam, is giving me a look that says



Anyway, I can barely remember what I wrote in the message to Harper Collins to convince them to let me read this book (probably that excitement-makes-my-brain-go-kaput thing I mentioned) but I know it probably alluded to willing enslavement among other unsavory behaviors if only I COULD HAVE THIS BOOK.

They sure know how to read beneath all that flowery language and abundance of compliments and found the desperation I was doing little to hide AND I THANK THEM.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
I read THE BITTER KINGDOM in April, read THE CROWN OF EMBERS in October of 2012 and I can still tell you what this series is about. That’s skillz, my brethren, so believe it, fear it. What? I meant Rae Carson. Surely you know I have more modesty.

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS introduces an insecure, unhappy, god-chosen Elisa who’s not comfortable in the shoes of “the chosen one” let alone in her own skin. She’s malleable and is pushed, pulled, toyed with and has no clue as to how much untapped potential and power she truly possesses, which, by far, makes the brightest spot of the series—her growth and transition into one of the most formidable, powerful heroines I’ve ever loved. Her journey to that inner strength begins in GoFaT (funny isn’t it!), climbs in THE CROWN OF EMBERS, and makes the distance at a profound height in THE BITTER KINGDOM. Her opponents range from terrifying pale-skinned magic users to sly dark-skinned country and noblemen, and within that are political disarray and a mysterious prophecy to take on as well. Why wouldn’t you want to read a series in which a girl, through personal struggles and vast accumulation of loyalties, triumphs against them all?

WHERE WE GO:
I’m a character girl all the way down to my underwear (my feet are a little undecided) but even I can appreciate the depth and complications of the story line. Carson takes her beautiful eruption of a fantasy world—so vivid, startling, and well-excavated—and wields it in EVERY INCH of the plot that has spanned the trilogy, filling all the holes at the right moments with the secrets of her world she’s left buried in the desert of Joya d’Arena and under the cold stones of the bitter kingdom of Invierno and calls them to rise. Like a darn pro and I’ve found her machinations of torture against us readers brutal and delightful.



Yeah, probably.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Storm chuckles. "Queen, chosen one, horse thief. Let it never be said that you are not accomplished."

Oh, God, this review wasn’t supposed to be so long, but I can’t not divulge on each amazing fictional specimen on every page of THE BITTER KINGDOM! Elisa is undoubtedly one of my favorite heroines of all time, and even to my surprise her growth STILL CONTINUES. And it’s marvelous and beautiful and, gosh darn, I’m so freaking proud. Her acceptance of everything she’s become, all that she was, and what she still is is disarmingly FEELS-RIDDEN. But, man, her supporting cast is exactly that, determinedly supportive and fiercely loyal, and deserves as much mention as my keyboard and your attention will allow.

I think what draws these people to Elisa is her willingness to forgive and a power that leaves them awe-stricken. Belen, once traitor always a friend, is on my FAVORITE ASSASINS LIST, and deserves nothing less than the whole heart of Mara, Elisa’s BAMF lady-in-waiting. Then, there’s forever room, OBVS, for Hector, a deep-in-the-bones good, honorable man, friend, and so much more than I could EVER have hoped for my chick. Storm, an unexpected, grudgingly loyal ally, is surprisingly my favorite person for comic relief. Surprising because of his usual stoic nature, but everything that comes out of his mouth is caresses to my very receptive ears. And the newest addition of Mula/Red just caps the awesomeness on these guys. Another lovable child added to the cast, with so much courage and strength and lovable qualities, it makes me glow better than the biggest baddest glowworm that Elisa, essentially, has found a son in Rosario and perhaps a daughter in this fantastic little girl.

She has been with us for such a short time, yet she was willing to risk her life for our cause. "Weren't you scared?" I ask.
"Yes. But it was a good scared."
"There's a good kind?"
"Oh, yes." Her voice drops so low I have to strain to hear. "Orlin made me scared all the time. Scared I would starve. Scared I would get too cold. Scared he would hurt me again or get so mad that he'd throw me to one of the men. That was nasty bad scared." She pauses, scuffing her boots against the floor. "But you never hit me, even though I'm your slave."
"You're not my--"
"And you always feed me. You call me a true name. Now, when I'm scared it's not because of meanness. And today I chose my own scared. It's always a good scared, when you get to pick it for your own self."

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Hector’s %(*&^$DGG)^ to Elisa’s &%$@DF@$
2. The Sexy Nervous Bedchamber Scene
3. Mula Becomes Red Sparkling Stone
4. Red Picks Her Own Scared
5. Mara Says No to Belen and Smiles
6. Everything Said By He Who Wafts Gently with the Wind Becomes as Mighty as the Thunderstorm
7. And especially… everything

"You look beautiful," Alodia says.
I startle at the compliment. Then I smile. "I'm beautiful to the one person who matters."
She nods. "*&^^&$FGD's mouth will drop open when he sees you."
"I hope so. But I meant me. I'm beautiful to me."

What more do you need me to say? I’ve told you ALL OF IT. Every ounce of feelings in my overburdened body has been poured into this review. If, after ALL THIS, you don’t read this book I will slay you with whatever is at hand (I don’t know how much damage a keyboard will do, but I’m friggin’ willing to find out).

Hardcover / 400 pgs / Aug 27th 2013 / Greenwillow Books / Goodreads / $17.99

I received a copy that I got in April from Harper Teen via Edelweiss.

Reaction to... Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
I have mixed feelings on the cover. While a part of me is kind of bored with the model just standing in a dark corridor, the other part says that this looks and feels like Sybella. Granted, I think Sybella is even prettier, but she certainly does skulk around dark corners, looking menacing and toting a deadly weapon, or several. So even though it’s not my favorite cover, it does a good job of depicting WHO this story is about.

SUMMARY: Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

I did like GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers, but I couldn’t sum up why I didn’t love it very well until I stumbled across this description of both of her books in LaFevers’s acknowledgements page. This is why she is the author and I am not.

“While Grave Mercy took place against a historical and political backdrop, Sybella’s story is a much more personal one, touching only on the fringes of the political happenings of the time.” And that, my beloved scarecrows, is why I didn’t love GRAVE MERCY in a nutshell. Because I enjoy my historicals, whether fantasy or fiction, to be “on the fringes” instead of directly involved in all the political intrigue. I’m a girl of action and adventure and pre-twentieth-and-twenty-first-century battles. I like a hint of all the court mumbo jumbo, and a little more of one as to who’s going to war with who, but the plot was so embedded in the politics it was easy to get bored. Because DARK TRIUMPH is a more personal journey, and being the character lover that I am, I connected with this book way, way more.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
It’s fifteenth-century France and A LOT is GOING DOWN. But, mainly the French are looking to invade because the Duchess of Brittany seems to be a chink in the armor of the land and they’re so damn arrogant and probably misogynistic, whatevs. The very real fear of a French invasion aside, one of their own counts has taken to seeking revenge and restitution since the Duchess has married another. Along with other complexities, like I said a lot is going down. Now, Sybella, the daughter of this sadistic traitor must use her time at the convent of St. Mortain to do His will and end this struggle once and for all. (ALSO: You don't need to read GRAVE MERCY to read book two.)

WHERE WE GO:
Right from the start, we are thrust into a heated battle session that is only too familiar if you’ve read GRAVE MERCY. A sprung trap gone awry, Sybella watches the fall of some of the Duchess’s own men, apart from one. Little does she know how essential he is to not only the Duchess but the escape of her own living nightmare. For Sybella has been sent on the deadly mission of infiltrating her father’s palace and reinstating herself among his court once again, and in turn putting herself willingly in his destructive crosshairs as well as in the sights of a brother she only wishes would see her as a sister.

From the grim and gruesome surroundings within the palace walls of Count d’Albret to a journey in the countryside brimming with the promise of capture at every turn, there’s not a still moment in DARK TRIUMPH. Just emotional ones, as many as the physical ones. Between helping the Duke of Waroch escape to fighting for her life and others’, I wonder how anyone can read Sybella’s story, emotional ties aside, and not be thrilled.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
Sybella, you poor innocent frightened child, you poor broken-spirited young woman, I only wished you comfort, happiness, and love the WHOLE TIME. Sybella’s turmoil and fear and shame are entwined in her narration, and you wonder how this tormented soul could have endured so much and retained sanity let alone purpose, however faltering both may be at points. She has a deep well of kindness, one whose whereabouts are easily forgotten when you stare at her cold face, listen to her cutting words, or watch her deliver justice. But it’s there and it’s big and deep and strong, and she has no idea it still exists inside of her any more than she believes Mortain hasn’t abandoned her. But never did I blame her or hold her own emotions against her, however crazily or wrongly they jumbled inside of her. She grew up in a twisted household, where greed, cruelty, and misplaced entitlement thrived. And instead of becoming as broken as those who lived with her intended, she grew to be strong, brave, and came to know the difference between right and wrong. Chose her side.

Of course, when I figured out that the mysteriously imprisoned Duke was Beast, I remembered what happened to him in GRAVE MERCY, remembered my love for him, and then the dots connected and I *fist-pumped* the hell out of my living room. My unexplained shouting for joy is not an uncommon occurrence in my household, but it took me a long while before I realized they were telling me to shut up because I was so stuck on the fact that Beast would, and could, get to her, Sybella I mean. He’s scarred and big and ugly and fights like a demon-wolf tearing into its first sign of prey after weeks of starvation. As L.J. Smith once wrote somewhere, when you rip away the viciousness you’re left with the other side and there’s really nothing like Beast’s tenderness, man. I wanted to wallow in that big ol’ scary bear, in his comfort, kindness, understanding and the aggression I found sexy.

I can’t say there was much in the way of new side characters, other than Yannic, but I didn’t mind, because I preferred the focus on Beast and Sybella and the villains. Eventually, we do cross paths once more with Ismae and Duval and all who accompany them and it made me happy to see them and for them to see their seemingly lost friends but I’ll be so much happier to see Beast and Sybella make their own cameos later on.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Sybella Helps Beast Escape
2. Sybella Treats Beast’s Wounds
3. Beast Kisses Sybella First
4. Sybella’s Heart Is Healed And Soul Recovered
5. Sybella Gets Her Justice

Gah, I’m so damn happy! DARK TRIUMPH is more of what I wanted, and expected, from GRAVE MERCY and for that reason I couldn’t help but enjoy it more. But all the character connections and romances make this book THAT MUCH better. I seriously do not know how MORTAL HEART is going to triumph against the other two, considering I don’t remember liking Annith all that much. But the anticipation of her romance, and who I think it will be with, has me more excited than I would normally be.

I’m so happy I spent my Sunday with this one and these two.

Hardback / 385 pgs / April 2013 / Houghton Mifflin / Goodreads / $18.99

I received a copy from my library, which is ALWAYS on point.

Reaction to... The Mephisto Kiss by Trinity Faegan

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
Okay, I HATE this cover. Something about the cover of THE MEPHISTO KISS makes me think of a bad photoshop job and I’m clearly unimpressed. But that is the ONLY thing I fail to love about this sequel to THE MEPHISTO COVENANT.

SUMMARY: The eyes never lie. No one’s eyes are darker than Eryx. Not even the Devil’s.

When Jax and Sasha first see Jordan Ellis, they know she is no ordinary teenager. She’s the daughter of the President after all, but she’s also Anabo – a descendant of Eve.

What they don’t know is that Eryx plans to kidnap Jordan and force President Ellis to pledge his soul. If Eryx’s plot succeeds, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But the Mephisto brothers do know about Jordan’s secret identity. And for one of them, she could be the match that leads to their soul’s salvation.

Now it’s a desperate race against time to save Jordan and prevent Eryx’s haunting eyes from discovering her true identity.

I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. Well, yes I do. After THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, I wasn’t burning with anxiety and need-to-know feels for the sequel and so it didn’t cut it to my Actual Priorities list. But I requested it. And don’t give me that look. Yes, I’ve requested a lot, but usually because I’ve SOME kind of invested interest. In this case, I knew I’d be reading THE MEPHISTO KISS I just wasn’t sure when. Picking it up after months of having it was an impulsive decision, I now realize, BUT I’M SO HAPPY that I did it. Because it’s as if Trinity Faegan took all my small though many gripes about the first book and made a phenomenal book that I just want squeeze to my chest and serenade it whilst it remains in my arms. YEAH.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
All together there are seven sons of Hell. A long, long time ago, the eldest of those sons did something unforgiveable and cast himself out of the Mephisto—sons of the dark angel Mephistopheles and the Anabo Mana who were neither acknowledged by God or Lucifer—and has since become the enemy of the rest of his family. Because of their origins the Mephisto are earth-bound, immortal, and, if killed, headed straight to Hell with absolutely no passage into Heaven. Unless they’ve fulfilled the Mephisto Covenant—a promise from God that says each of the Mephisto will find peace and love with an Anabo—an infallibly pure soul resistant against temptation and the wickedness of man. But as Ajax, or Jax, has so proven in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, that proves to be as difficult as can be, and will be even more difficult when Kyros, or Key, is given his own chance for redemption.

WHERE WE GO:
Yes, Trinity Faegan has made so many improvements to this second book in the Mephisto series. You have to understand, the first book wasn’t a bad book. It was a little weird at times—a lot of people still seem to question the sexism (would that be the word?) that seems to be embedded within certain aspects of the story—and the plot had been a little too choppy. The villain took FOREVER to show up, if my review is any judge, and the pacing needed work too. Not the case at all in THE MEPHISTO KISS.

We are given a brief introductory step into the minds of Kyros and Jordan before we are thrust into the fast-paced kidnapping that changes everything. Jordan is the president’s daughter, and was never any interest of the Mephisto or their sworn-enemy Eryx, until she becomes an essential piece to the chess game the President is unknowingly losing against Eryx and his plot to overtake the American government. With Jordan taken, it is revealed that Jordan is suspected to be one of whom the Mephisto are always looking for, and before he can prepare himself for what is about to happen, Kyros is assaulted with the scent of bluebells coming from an item of Jordan’s, changing everything.

What I loved so much about THE MEPHISTO KISS is the constant adventures, all the terrible outcomes, risk-taking, and fighting against evil whereas in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT all that didn’t seem so important. I had been too busy wishing Jax and Sasha together, just because, but with this book Faegan figured out if we are invested in the characters as much as humanly possible so will we be in their mission. It’s now imperative to stop Eryx, to keep him from tempting more souls and from taking the only happiness that really counts among the Mephisto after a thousand years of their own individual loneliness. From the Carpathian Mountains to Bucharest to Washington to the Mephisto stronghold, all that we learn and everywhere we go is thrilling, exciting, and compelled a range of emotions from me with every turn of the scene.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
True to my tastes, even more than I loved the plot, I loved this deeper development and better presentation of characters I liked in this first book. I saw the potential in the bromance between the Mephistos and how it might touch me deeply but it didn’t go that far in the first book whereas now I can’t imagine ever not reading a book with them in it. They are more of a presence, grounded in emotions and pasts and personalities that didn’t feel this close in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT. I finally feel like I know them, like I can sense family and feel home, their home, and enjoy all the struggles, arguments, and joyous occasions that come with that family.

Kyros was especially distant in THE MEPHISTO COVENANT, as the leader of the Mephisto, but that is no longer a problem. To protect himself from too deep of emotional investment, to hide all the emotional scarring and pain that comes with it, and to keep himself rigidly in check, his distance, or the cause thereof, is one of the saddest things I’ve ever known in a book. For the sake of his father, his brothers, all of them, and his long-dead mother, Kyros is an unbearably sad character though there is no outward sorrow to show. I couldn’t help but be relieved and happy at the promise of Jordan, or life with her. Seeing them stumble their way through love was so much more gratifying than what I found in the last book. It’s real and raw, full of mistakes and misunderstandings of each other’s characters while they figure out what those characters really are, and ultimately full of hope and acceptance and I am TOTES behind that. Yes, Jordan, like Sasha, battled with what was right for her, whether Kyros was wrong for her or not, but unlike Sasha, seemed strong and perfectly scared and somehow more real about her indecision. But there is a realization of the balance they have together that keeps them in check as much as happy.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Kyros Begs Jordan To Stay Alive
2. Phoenix Tells Kyros About Jane
3. Jax Gives Jordan Advice
4. Kyros Wants Jordan For Jordan
5. Kyros Decides Jordan, Every Time

I’ve done the best that I could, putting my love of this book into words. And only now after finishing early this morning (I’m talking around five am people!), and after I try to make myself guilty for sleeping in and not studying for my final tomorrow because I stayed up late reading THE MEPHISTO KISS, do I realize how unequivocally excited I am for the rest of the books in the series! It makes me so sad that Faegan’s publisher decided against another book, like BEYOND sad.





But, I’m not bedridden with ragefever or pulling my own hair out because Trinity Faegan made the brave decision to continue the series on her own. And I can’t truly, deeply thank her enough for it because I genuinely love these characters she’s brought into the fictional world and who knows how much blacker my soul would’ve gotten if she hadn’t decided? Because she spared me a fate of long-lasting anger and took pity on all of us desperately waiting for the next part of the story, I think she is even more amazing. Really, people, you are missing so much by skipping this book.

I can’t tell you how much my blood sings at the thought of reading Phoenix’s story, which is the next book in the series called THE MEPHISTO MARK. Even though I must wait until September, in this book especially, Phoenix, the first brother to find an Anabo and lose her, has gotten to me and I’ve decided to be patient. I trust you, Trinity, to make me love Phoenix, Mariah, and their story so very much. And oddly enough it’s a scene with the guy in question that I find even more oddly compelled to share with you.

After a while, Phoenix said, "Jane wasn't what I expected."
Jerking his attention away from the dust motes, he saw Phoenix staring at the clock. "You never said so."
"I thought I'd find a girl who was strong and independent, who liked to ride as much as I did, who had a spirit of adventure and would go with me to places like the Himalayas, or the pyramids in Egypt. Instead, I got Jane, who couldn't walk and was afraid of horses. She was shy, reserved, and a homebody." Phoenix shifted in his chair and rubbed an invisible spot from the brown leather armrest. "Looking at it from her side, she thought she'd marry an aristocrat who would be as passionate about social change in England as she was, who could take her to church. Instead, she got me."
"Who healed her so she could walk. That had to rank higher than social change."
"Not to Jane."
Key was floored. "I thought you and Jane were crazy about each other."
"We were."
"But you just said--"
"All that was in the beginning, Key. Once I really knew her, I didn't care so much about the pyramids. She could be funny, which isn't something I ever considered important. She had quirks, like hiding dime novels inside her hat so she could sneak away from parties and read. You don't think about things like that while you're waiting. You build up this perfect girl in your head, but she doesn't exist. What you get instead is a real human being, and if you're lucky like me, she'll be a million times better than what you imagined and expected."
"In her hat? Really?"
Phoenix nodded and reached for his book. "She loved scary stories."
Key got to his feet and walked to the doorway into the front hall, then stopped and said over his shoulder, "Do you ever imagine another girl?"
"All the time, but now, instead of a girl who's into pyramids, she's always Jane."

Now, maybe, you know what I mean.

Hardback / 448 pgs / Sept 25th 2012 / Egmont USA / Goodreads / $17.99

I received a copy from Egmont via Netgalley back in October.

Meager Musings on... Elemental Hotties in Fearless [#1.5] and Breathless [#2.5] by Brigid Kemmerer

I beg your forgiveness, Brigid, for waiting so long to read this installment even after your gesture of kindness. This was my plan all along in order to properly gear myself up for SPIRIT.

ALSO: You are the awesomest of them all.

SUMMARY: Being a force of nature doesn t keep you safe.Hunter Garrity is used to watching his back. The kids at school sense something different about him. And they re right.

Hunter has powers that have nothing to do with how hard he can throw a punch.

Maybe that s what Clare Kasten is picking up. She s shy, quiet, and intense, but she s sought him out. There s no telling what she wants from him.

But Hunter knows enough to sense a secret when it s close. And getting close to Clare is a danger he s ready to face.

So even though it is my bad that I hadn't read this as soon as I would've liked, it really did work out, because FEARLESS topped off by BREATHLESS was one of my most excellent reading decisions. And if the small voice of the responsible me is blabbering about how I just made the wait harder for SPIRIT, because it's not quite at the top of the TBR this month unfortunately, well I'm doing my best to bean it over the head with an imaginary wooden club.

Yes, it's as effective as the real thing.

A part of me REALLY wishes that I remembered STORM better so that I could figure out if the news of Hunter's past is as shocking as it's supposed to be or I'd just forgotten the reveal at some point. But, now, I have all these DOUBTFUL THINGYS in my head. Questions regarding Hunter's true loyalties. Images of me taking out my club again and going to work on Hunter's daddy.

The main thing, though, is the nice little window into Hunter pre-STORM and how much I sympathized with this Hunter. How much happier I am for his changes in the series, the Hunter he's grown to be or has become. This definitely served as a nice appetizer to get me ready for SPIRIT.

SUMMARY: Too many secrets. Not enough time.

Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic. But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive. His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark. He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.

Before I go into all the HOT HOT HOTNESS of this mini installment, can I just say I knew it? I KNEW that Brigid couldn't resist giving us A WHOLE BOOK for Nick Merrick, coming soon. I didn't doubt her for a second... not... one... second... Yeaaaah.

Oh, did you think I was going to bring up that other thing? Well, I WON'T. Because that would be spoilery if I'm any judge. Which I'm probably not and am just torturing you with the knowledge I have but refuse to share, but that's half the fun. And I'm being cautious, because I'm not sure if I was the only one who didn't see the signs when it comes to Nick Merrick. Then again, I profess a lack of radar in that arena. But OH MY GOD! does this new development make things LOADS more interesting... and sexy. Oh yes, QUITE. SEXY.



All that noise aside, if you're wanting to know a little more about what to expect (other than what I won't share) then know this: BREATHLESS is a short installment, as expected given that it's another novella in the series, and it just sheds a little long-awaited light on a blood member of one of our favorite families. His worries, his fears, his desires (ALL KINDS OF). His guilt. Because there are secrets Nick Merrick is keeping, from his family, including Gabe, from Quinn, from himself. And you will find a hint of guilt here, in my review, from me. Because how addicted to this kid and his upcoming romance I am is displayed in my secret guilty wish to sacrifice SPIRIT to have SIEGE first because I WANT TO KNOW. And that's the point. Brigid Kemmerer is clever. *spits* Authors. Can't trust 'em any farther than you imagine throwing them. Even in Brigid's case, where the throwing would be as loving as possible.

I received BREATHLESS from K-Teen via Netgalley; I received FEARLESS as a token from the author because she's a sweet lady who likes me and not you. Just kidding. Mostly.

Reaction to... The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

TO UNCOVER OR BE COVERED:
While not my favorite cover on this good earth, it still somehow works. The cover for The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron meshes really well with the overall feel of the book.

SUMMARY: A thrilling tale of spies, intrigue, and heart-racing romance!

When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his remote English estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of childlike rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London. Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she has grown to care for—a conflict made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a mysterious student, and fears for her own sanity. As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as they know it. With twists and turns and breathtaking romance at every corner, this thrilling adventure will captivate readers.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS:
Katherine Tulman has a raging jerkface of an aunt, who has her greedy eyeballs pinned on a fortuitous opportunity in the form of Katherine's uncle's rather large estate. Our poor girl is forced to do a most dreaded task: spy on her unsuspecting uncle, who is believed to be as cray as they come, and deliver proof of his lack of capability to maintain said estate. Only when Katherine gets there, fully intending to do just that not only for her mean ol' aunt but for her own freedom, she's not so sure she can bring down someone she comes to love so much, or someones. Lots of unexpected someones.

WHERE WE GO:
Ah, to be in a gorgeously English estate, a large property with a Gothic mansion and a whole village to boot. Katherine's uncle has a lot of playroom and abundant space for many many guests but more on that later. It's such a treat to have Katherine wandering through and staying in a potentially haunted home, with many rooms, hidden passages, and locked closets. It's such a fabulous trimming to the plot that ties in well with the story line and its movement. And, boy, every time that wind howled or the closet was left unlocked I had to glance around and make sure I was really alone.

More than that, though, there's this shadow of France looming over everything. All this political intrigue is meshed in with the story, and links with the antagonist's true motives. Cameron really has a lot to work with and to build a solid story arc on.

WHO WE ARE WITH:
This is the fun part, and definitely my favorite aspect of The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron. You know that feeling of home and warmth when you're among a bunch of people who enjoy and like each other, real or not? You want to be part of that familiarity, that happiness, and that's what the cast in this book make you feel. Ready with banter and laughter and suspicion, ready to protect each other against all darkness heading their way. They're truly a family in every sense and even though they're reluctant at first, the initial warmth grows into a blaze when they accept Katherine into their fold, despite or perhaps because of their uncertainty of her loyalty.

THE LITTLE THINGS:

1. Lane and Katherine's Hate Turned Love
2. A lady's maid who won't shut up... ever
3. A funny bunny and sweet little mute child
4. Uncle Tully's astounding inventions
5. All that room for more...

I had every intention of loathing the ending, though, because MAN, ya'll know how I hate vague endings but then I found the bright light in the tunnel, A Spark Unseen until now. I loved this book, and I'm so stoked for the sequel even as I try not to be pissed at myself for WAITING SO LONG to read this book and missing out. Don't make my mistake, ladies and bros.

Hardcover / 336 pgs / Sept 1st 2012 / Scholastic / Goodreads / $17.99

I received a copy that has since collected dust from Scholastic via Netgalley.