Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Adventure, Romance, Young Adult
When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.
But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...
Sybella's
journey in Dark
Triumph
is a much different one than Ismae's in many ways, yet similar in the
way that she also comes to terms for what it means for her to be
Death's Handmaiden.
Dark
Triumph picks
up the story before Grave
Mercy ends
with the moment of Sybella's warning. We are then pulled into the
dark twisted world that is her family, and it becomes very obvious why
she was so crazed when she had appeared at the abbey. Sybella's story
is much, much darker than Ismae's.
Once
again LaFevers storytelling and characters are compelling. We deal
less with intrigue and more with family politics this time around. We
explore a household held hostage by fear of the patriarch. We see how
abuse is internalized and how even good things can become twisted.
The
romance does not disappoint as well. I found our two hero enjoyable
with how compatible they are. Beast's need to save people is important to impart Sybella with belief in humanity again.
I
am more than ready to devour the final book in the trilogy, our
final Handmaiden's tale.
The story of her baby killed me. This entire book is a spiral into hell as we uncover more and more of Sybella's secrets. I felt for her as a character. After finishing her story, Ismae's tale felt so fluffy and happy just because Sybella's is so twisted and dark.
I am also quite fond of the character Tephanie, who showed a great amount of courage in her budding need to help keep Sybella safe. I hope that she will continue to follow Sybella around and be another friend to her.
If
you enjoyed Grave
Mercy,
don't hesistate to pick up this next book. It is a slightly different
sort of book from the first one, but it is written just as well.
The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1)
Soman Chainani
Publication Date: March 14th 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 488
Genre: Fairytale, Fantasy, Middle-Grade
The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.
This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.
But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?
The School for Good & Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.
For
a while I had forgotten what a book has to do to earn a full 5
bookmarks from me. I found myself rating books 4.5 and wondering if
maybe I was being too picky. Then I finished reading this book and it
fully reminded me what I felt like after finishing a book that rates
5.
Where
do I start this review? I guess at the heart, with our two main
characters. Sophie and Agatha are as different as night and day.
Sophie has shimmering, bright blonde hair and works hard to do good
deeds. Agatha cares very little for her appearance, lives in a
graveyard, and is cynical. Of course as soon as you see things from
their points of view, it becomes clear that appearances are only skin
deep with these two. I love how strong
these two characters are and how they grow and are influenced, yet
still remain themselves at their core.
They
are layered characters. Sophie seems to only think of herself for
most things, but there will be times when something more shines
through. Agatha's journey of self-love is also pretty amazing to go
through.
The
world is imaginative and although I have seen similar things before,
this is hands down my favourite rendition of the fairytale/myth
school idea. The writing is both light and nuanced. Things are hinted
it throughout the book and I found myself realizing things only
slightly faster than the characters. The book also walks a fine line
between falling into cliches and breaking them as there were times
where I was about to think something predictable was about to happen, before things would
suddenly change.
The
ending is incredibly satisfying as well, which is important. A rushed
or messy ending can lower the enjoyment of an entire book.
The ending! I'm just so satisfied with it. I didn't see the thing with the School Master coming, though I had guessed that it had to be the evil one still alive. Then my heart soared when Agatha saved Sophie by pulling her from the tower, and then I was so proud of Sophie when she saved Agatha's life. It put down any debates a reader might have to Sophie's friendship. I also really enjoy WE DON'T NEED NO MALE LEAD, bit at the end. (Between this and Frozen, let's make this a new cliche, please, that would be fantastic if platonic love could be the focal point of stories!)
It's terrible, but the title of the second book makes me really want the Princesses rise up against the completely unfair way they are treated versus the Princes. I think the way Agatha is pretty much a Prince in the way she is good can help start a revolution, darnit!
On another note, I'm really glad we were shown bits from Tedros's point of view, because what he thinks and how he tends to act are very different. His parents' history makes a very interesting facet to him that explains a lot of his future actions. Though I almost yelled at him outloud when he led the attack against the Nevers. I was going DEFEND, NOT ATTACK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, and then he wouldn't listen to Agatha and was all mopy about his man pride being hurt.
Though I guess if he hadn't done that we wouldn't have gotten the brilliant scene where Sophie reverses good and evil.
I
recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, fairytale or school
stories. I recommend this book for anyone who finds strongly defined
characters a pleasure and those who don't mind being in the head of someone
quite selfish (though this did not bother me as I loved the writing
of it, I understand that some people find this unbearable). I know
that I will be picking up the next book as soon as I can!
An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.
For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.
Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.
Ashes is a
spectacular and well done post-apocalyptical story that takes the idea of
zombies and twists it into something unique. The main character, Alex, is
hiking up a mountain when a Electro-Magentic pulse goes off and kills off many
people, destroys the tumor in her brain that was killing her and turns
teenagers and young adults into lunatics whose only goal is to well eat you.
The idea has to do with the brains of the
people during the pulse is something that I really love. There are
"not" zombies and then of course there is the exploration of what
people do when faced with such a situation.
Some people pillage, other try to create safe
havens, some lose all of their moral judgement in favor of survival, others
refuse to leave loved ones that have gone feral and instead choose to go down
with them. Others, of course, try to be heroes.
Alex is a very interesting character, at the
beginning she pretty much only has one goal and wants to avoid people at all
costs, but as soon as she is forced into Ellie's company, a very protective
loyal side of her emerges. She is independent and intellectual, trying to
figure out what in the world is going on and not ready to just accept whatever other
people tell her as fact.
The writing sucked me in and kept me reading until
the very end. It is a thriller, fast paced and full of action (and the horror
of a world falling apart).
Oh, my, god! The town creeped me out, and I thought
it was terrible that they casted people out, but the fact that they send these
people TO THE CRAZED TEENS as tribute disturbed me so much, and then Alex is
sent there so she'll be "rescued". What a place to stop it! (very
well done Bick, very well done). There is so much about this that reminds me of
books such as The Forest of Hands and
Teeth where there is a highly religious town/society in the middle of a sea
of zombies, is this how they started? With people seeking their help and having
no choice but to follow?
I also really hope Ellie is okay, she is such a
prat, but like Alex I grew attached to her, if only for the fact that they
survived the Pulse together. I also have a theory (which may be completely out
there) that Ellie's headphones and iPod are part of what kept her from turning
zombie-like.
I also really want to find out what happens next,
does Alex escape? Does she end up in some other messed up place caused by
people trying to escape the aftereffects of the pulse? What is the government
doing? If the entire world was affected, who did it, why did they do it and
what are all the countries going to do next?
Yeah, I'm hooked.
If you like post-apocalyptical books, you will love
this book. If you like fast paced thrillers, involving independent teenaged
heroines who don't take shit, you will love this book. Oh, and of course if
you're a fan of interesting and unique zombie ideas you will love this book.
ARC Disclaimer: I was not paid in any way by the publishers to review this book favourably. The review is my own honest opinion (Whether or not it is agreed with).
Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting . . . until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should "help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy "left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.
A few years ago I somehow decided to by a book by the name of Princess Academy. The synopsis had intrigued me, and I loved the cover, yet they did very little to prepare me for how much I would enjoy reading it. It has possibly become one of my most reread books over these last few years, with my enjoyment increasing each time.
Needless to say I bounded around the house in excitement when I learned that Hale had decided to continue Miri's story, which at the same time felt finished, yet open ended. For about two months I sat around dying to get my hands on this book, and then I realized that it was up on NetGalley and furthermore that Bloomsbury had accepted my request for a galley once before, so it's not hard to guess what happened after that.
What is funny is that Palace of Stone did the exact same thing to me that PrincessAcademydid; It somehow completely exceeded my expectations. We have the return of the most interesting academy girls and with the narrowing of the characters, each girl finds her place in the world, including Miri who is invited to attend the best academy that Danland has to offer.
On top of all these characters growing up, a very fine play of politics is examined throughout the book. The idea of revolution, something that Miri created in MountEskel, is explored and debated and us as the readers follow Miri as she finds herself having to place an opinion on the issue of ethics.
Hale's prose, as always, is magical and easy to follow. The characters are well developed, the world expanded, the plot riveting, the pacing well done, and I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loved PrincessAcademy.
I love the way Miri grew in this book. She grew so much in PrincessAcademy, but faced with the rest of society, it becomes obvious how much more she has to go. Watching her become involved in the revolution, feel betrayed, and realize her idealism was a joy. I also enjoyed her seriously debating in her brain where she belonged: Asland or Eskel? The decision wasn't something she made immediately and it reflects a lot the decisions many young adults end up coming to when they debate their futures.
The growth of the royal family was also a joy to explore, and Hale's pushing of the idea that history can tell us much of the present. We came to understand why the King was the way he was, and then why Steffan is the way that he is. I enjoyed the transformation that came from them realizing that they had the gift from the linder.
I don't regret spending a second of my time reading this book. When it is released I plan on buying it and I'm sure it will become just as worn as my copy of Princess Academy. Palace of Stone has grown with its readers, and is more of a YA novel. I recommend it to people who love fantasy and medieval stories. I do think PrincessAcademy should be read first, but Palace of Stone is enough of its own story that I think it could work on its own.
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.
The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
Holy mackerel this story is a work of art, the
structure is a work of art, the growth of the main character is a work of art.
This book honestly blows any other YA Contemporary book out of the water. In
fact it kind of blows Oliver's other books out of the water as well.
The book uses techniques often not applied in YA
novels with the repeating of the same day to show how the character grows. From
her first day to her last repeat, she takes each day slightly differently,
putting what she learned in previous days to work.
Okay, honestly, what it comes down to is that this
book is like someone replaying a Visual Novel (a game that is like a choose
your own adventure book) over and over again to get all the information that
they possibly can. Because Sam made a decision during one replay of the day
that was different than another we learn so much more than we would have about
different characters and how people see Sam.
Then there's the fact that you realize that Sam is
mourning herself in these repeated days, she goes through all the stages, until
finally she comes to acceptance and tries to help as much as she can, before
she knows what has to happen.
This is a book that makes you think, makes you
realize that everything isn't always how it seems, that there are pieces to
people, even people you think you know completely that you don't know. How
people aren't perfect and that's okay.
I didn't want Sam to die. I knew she had to, that
this was her last day no matter what, but I fell so much in love with the
person she became, with the relationships she had created, I didn't want her to
go, so I cried like such a baby at the end. I honestly don't know if I'll be
able to reread this book again because of how much it affected me, but I want
to own it still.
Read this book, read this book even if you start
and you are turned off by Sam and her friends as characters, in fact if that
happens I recommend you read it even more because you will enjoy it so much
more when they are all enravelled as characters.
Genre: Adventure, Historical AU, Fantasy, Young Adult
Eff was born a thirteenth child. Her twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he's supposed to possess amazing talent -- and she's supposed to bring only bad things to her family and her town. Undeterred, her family moves to the frontier, where her father will be a professor of magic at a school perilously close to the magical divide that separates settlers from the beasts of the wild.
With wit and wonder, Patricia Wrede creates an alternate history of westward expansion that will delight fans of both J. K. Rowling and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
What's funny about this book is that if I had seen that it was Patricia C. Wrede, I might not have picked it up so readily, as I had recently read the Dealing with Dragons series, which I had liked, but hadn't really been my kind of book (it had been a recommendation). She was just an ordinary writer in my head and not an author to watch out for.
This book came to me by goodreads.com's recommendation, and partially because I thought the cover was very unique and partially because I really liked the idea I picked it up. And then it became one of my favourite books of all time! Wrede's writing has grown and this world appealed to me so much more.
So I like historical fiction, even if I don't mention or read much of it, but the historical fiction that I like the most is Oregon trail/prarie life/Lewis and Clarke era historical fiction. I love America when it was wild and magical. Now what Wrede did is take this era of American history and add a huge dose of Alternate Universe magic. America becomes Columbia, the Civil War the Succession War, and magic is a part of ones lessons in school, even a college focus.
Eff's family is originally from the East Coast, but end up moving out west when family issues become strained and her father receives an excellent job prospect to be a professor of magic at a college that helps to train wizards to go out past the MammothRiver, past the Great Barrier into the wild magics of the west. Do I still have you?
The characters are absolutely fantastic in their characterization, depth and relations towards each other. Eff comes from an absolutely gigantic family, which any author will tell you is hard to write, yet Wrede pulls it off so that each sibling (mostly the younger ones she actually interacts with) has a personality, and some a lot of depth.
The point of the book, however, is Eff growing into herself. The book starts off with her very young and ends with her in high school. We see her start off as a paranoid, easily influenced child, and end up realizing that she might just be able to trust herself, and maybe everyone else was wrong.
Eff's victory over the mirror bugs was so well celebrated in my brain. It was such a great way to turn the tables on her and make her realize that she is not useless. She was the one to figure out the mirror bugs and it was she that found the twist and used it. It was the use of a different sort of magic (not the "European" magic that most of Columbia puts stock in). It was also really nice seeing Eff and Lan switched places for a bit, with her overshadowing him.
This book isn't as talked about as it should be. I remember putting out a Waiting on Wednesday for the third book in the series and no one knew the book at all. It's a masterpiece of a book and I love it dearly and wish it upon all of you. It's fantasy, historical AU fiction, the frontier and a story of growing up.
Webmind-the vast consciousness that spontaneously emerged from the infrastructure of the World Wide Web-has proven its worth to humanity by aiding in everything from curing cancer to easing international tensions. But the brass at the Pentagon see Webmind as a threat that needs to be eliminated. Caitlin Decter-the once-blind sixteen-year-old math genius who discovered, and bonded with, Webmind-wants desperately to protect her friend. And if she doesn't act, everything-Webmind included-may come crashing down.
Out of all the 'W' words that Sawyer could use to
describe this final book, Wonder is by far the best, it sums up how I felt
about this book as I finished it up. Just thinking about the tiny little
beginning of a consciousness that turns into something so big and great warms
my heart. It's almost like watching a child grow into an adult that you are
proud of.
Honestly, however, the best part about this book is
the fact that it is a positive take on Artificial Intelligence. As the series
addresses over and over again, humans and media are obsessed with the thought
that if AI comes into being it will try and destroy humanity, if anything that
isn't human becomes as smart as human they will hate us. It brings up so much
philosophical thought while reading the books. Even if you disagree that such a
positive instance could happen, you are still thinking about it.
I also really enjoyed how every single thread cast
out in the very beginning of the series are tied nicely together in the end.
From China and Japan to Canada
and the US,
from Hobo the Bonobo/Chimp to a teenaged girl to an emergent AI, everything is
tied together. I come from this series feeling a tad smarter than when I
started and a thinking a bit more about the future, about how things are
changing, emergent AI aside. The scene where the kids ban together to stop the
bullying by showing that they see, and because Caitlin's eye sends information
through the internet, so could everyone else made me really think and wonder.
Everything is becoming more out there, the internet is becoming less anonymous
than it was even just five years ago, and people tend to behave better when
everyone can see them and judge them. Will we as a human race become less
anonymous, will our sense of moral truly improve? Will we improve as a race?
There are so many more things I can talk about, but
honestly I'd rather everyone read the series. It makes you think, it
entertains, it teaches, it makes you fight for the underdog, become attached to
a normal girl who is just growing up in a world that everyone in my generation
is growing up in.
Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.
Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.
It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.
First of all, look at this gorgeous cover! I
absolutely adore the art, I've stared a the detail under the eyes and the
freckles forever. What's funny, is that although I love this cover, it had
absolutely no impact on why I wanted to read this book. I read this book
because I love adaptations of history with strong female characters. When I was
young Disney's Robin Hood was one of my favourite Disney Movies, and I wanted
to be a Merry Men so badly, but of course I was a girl so instead I was just
sad.
So when I read that this book is Robin Hood with
Will Scarlet cast as a female under the guise of being male I jumped on it
right away. It was everything I was hoping and more.
Scarlet is such a great character, her voice is
unique and very in with the time, her way of carrying herself truly male, as is
the way she deals with Robin and Little John. I had more trouble reading
Scarlet as female than as male and that fact tickles me as she's been living as
a male for so long that should be how it is. Robin, Little John and Much were
excellently done as well. You can really tell that Gaughen is a huge fan of
Robin the Hood, as the book has a researched feel, though she does do her own
take on it. I love how Robin is charming, but at the same time quiet to his
real feelings, while Little John is always up in your face.
I liked how the love triangle plays out in the book
as well because it's not in your face. She likes Robin, but doesn't really know
if it's just a silly crush or real feelings, while he's so shut in we as the
readers aren't even sure if he likes her. Little John on the other hand feels
like a male friend just realizing his female friend is indeed a female. He is
overprotective of her, but it's also pretty obvious that she doesn't really
have strong feelings for him in that way.
But of course I was hoping that she'd go for Robin,
because I like them as a couple.
The greatest thing about this book, beside
Scarlet's voice, however, is the prose. I absolutely adored the prose's style
and I thought it was really well done. I would read another book by this author
in a heartbeat.
I really liked Scarlet's backstory with the Theif
Taker. I also love the way she regresses when he's around. Will Scarlet starts
to disappear when the fear of him comes around.
Also, I SO CALLED SCARLET BEING MAID MARIAN! As
soon as I realized that Robin and Scarlet just had to get together, I started
freaking out that maybe, just maybe, Scarlet was actually Maid Marian, she used
to be a Lady so it could be true. I felt it was a long shot, however, so I did
get up and do a little dance when it was revealed that her name was Marian.
That of course also meant that Robin and Scarlet were so going to get together
which also made me happy. I really, really hope more stories are written of
Robin, since this is very obviously just his beginnings as "The Hood"
as his band is very small, so I really want to see the rendition of when the
band gets bigger.
I recommend this to any Robin Hood fan, any
Historical Fiction fan, and any fan of good writing. I plan on buying a hard
copy of this book, because I enjoyed it so much. It's my favourite read among a
lot of good books that I've been reading lately.
