Follow Friday& The Book Blogger Hop (13)

 YES, the Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday (hosted at Parajunkee's View and Crazy-for-Books, respectively) have returned from their holiday breaks in full-force!  I'm going to be one busy girl this week, what with exams looming ahead (only 3 days left to study-- the horror!!) and my upcoming trip to Mexico.  But I promise to still check out everybody's blogs-- just leave me your link when you say hi.  I missed hardcore blog hopping a lot over these last few weekends.  And while you're here, don't forget to enter my giveaway to win the Iron Fey trilogy by Julie Kagawa!

Over at the Blog Hop, this week's question is:

"What book influenced or changed your life? How did it influence/change you?" 

My answer: The Harry Potter series are the books which opened my life up to magic, and to reading.  I read the Sorceror's Stone when I was just shy of seven, and I'll never forget what a powerful experience it was.  Suddenly I wanted to read every fantasy I could get my hands on and I wanted to be a writer, to create my own stories. (Almost as much as I wanted to go to Hogwarts. :) )  I remember Sirius Black in the third book scared me (hey, I was seven or eight) and the graveyard scene in the Goblet of Fire gave me chills to read after dark with a flashlight.  I have so many memories of reading and re-reading these books.  One of my favorite things about reading is that every time you read a book again, the memories of the previous times you read it and where you were and what you were doing come flying back to you like photographs stuck between the pages.

And this week's Follow Friday featured blogger is Shannon @ Stalking the Bookshelves.  Make sure to stop by her blog and follow if you haven't already. The question is: What book(s) have you discovered lately from someone's book blog?

My answer: I'm always discovering books from other people's blogs-- more than half the books I read were recommended by a blog or friend! One of the YA books I've discovered recently from reading blogs is Matched by Ally Condie; another is the Vampire Academy series.


I hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Genre: YA fantasy, vampire
Pages: 503 (paperback)
Published: 2009 by Razorbill
Recommended for: people who've read the previous Vampire Academy books

Synopsis: Dimitri's heart has gone dark.

Now Rose must journey to the ends of the earth to find--and kill--her one true love...
Or has the time come to join him?
Bound by love, but sworn to kill... Guardian Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

My Take:

I'm very much in love with this book right now.  I finished Shadow Kissed, the third book in the VA series, a few months ago and doubted I would go on to read the next one.  Then all the Last Sacrifice hype exploded onto the blogosphere, and I started thinking 'Wow, the last three books must be better'.  Good thing I decided to give the series another shot.  

Blood Promise begins with dhampir Rose Hathaway traveling to Russia to find her love Dimitri... and kill him.  Dimitri's Strigoi (Dracula-esque, evil, undead vamps) now, and Rose has no idea where to start her search.  I'm all for no spoilers, but she pretty much treks across Russia in her search for Dimitri, all the while fretting about Lissa, her best friend who she left alone and unguarded back at St. Vladimir's Academy.  Rose ends up in Dimitri's hometown searching for clues, and while she doesn't find the man himself, she does find his family. 

The thing that sets the Vampire Academy series apart from all the other vampire books out there is the complexity of the vamps' secret world and culture.  In this fourth book, Richelle Mead shows us the dark side of dhampir life, as well as the positive angle to Strigoi existence (since they're not really living ;)  ).  I knew and everybody else, I'm sure, also knew from just reading the summary that eventaully Rose would have to run into Dimitri and he'd pull a Darth Vader and be all 'Join me, Roza, on the Dark Side, live forever.'  But I was surprised to find that I actually kind of bought into all the good parts of becoming Strigoi.  I mean-- live forever, eternal youth, awesome reflexes, a love that lasts forever?  And becoming Strigoi is the only way that, at this point, Rose can possibly be with Dimitri.  I'm sure Richelle Mead's got some huge deus ex machina in the last two books that I haven't read, but as of now, I really felt Rose's sorrow at losing Dimitri and fear and determination at the possibility of having to kill him.  Rose is such an awesome MC-- she's strong and opinionated, and she makes me laugh or cheer for her-- never groan and sling the books across the room because of some stupid mistake.

I've read a lot of reviews from people who say this is just a 'filler book', and yeah, I'm going to have to agree somewhat.  I didn't feel like there was any drastic change from the beginning to the end, or any one event that absolutely had to happen.  And, yes, a lot of the new characters in Russia are people we may or may not ever meet again in the series, but truthfully, Blood Promise is just a really fun, enjoyable book.  It's not a jaw-dropping, revelation-a-page series installment like Catching Fire or a thought-provoking dystopian, but it's definitely worth the read.  There is one revelation towards the end that really made me smile and a couple of moments where I was literally tearing through the pages, hell-bent on finding out how in the world Rose would make it out alive.  The 500 pages flew by for me, making this a very addictive read.  I can't wait to get my hands on Spirit Bound!

Cover: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly blogging event hosted at Breaking-The-Spine.com that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.  This week I'm waiting on...  

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver 

To Be Released: February 1st, 2011

(from Goodreads): Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps.  The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood.  And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?


 Less than a month to wait now until the release! It feels like I've been waiting on this one for forever. (Or probably that's just my lack of any patience whatsoever.) I seen a lot of good reviews for the short story starring the MC, Riley, Retro Demonology.  Sounds too cool.   :)



So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Resolve to Read in 2011

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week I'm going to commit to reading ten of those books I always say I'm going to read... and somehow don't. These misfit books have been on my to-read Goodreads page for two years...here they are: 

1. 

It's brilliant, they tell me.  It's not even like Twilight, they tell me.  Just wade through the first 100 pages, they tell me.  This year, I'm going to give it a wholehearted go, I swear.

2.

I really have no idea why I've yet to read the Song of the Lioness Quartet.  Like the new cover...

3. 

Got to read this one before the new movie comes out.

4. 

Book people beat on me (with this lovely tome) for not having read Gone with the Wind.  But it's so enormous

5. 

I like the premise of this one: lady pirate reincarnated into a hundred dogs, then finally a teenage girl.

6. 

I'm a Dracula-fanatic.  This book won the Bram Stoker award (ha)

7.

8.

Another apparently brilliant YA paranormal I've yet to read.

9.

Lots of good hype for this one.

10.

First book of the popular Immortals vampire series-- though I thought I was vamped-out.

Burned by PC and Kristin Cast

Genre: YA paranormal
Pages: 323
Published: May 2010
(#7 in the House of Night series)
Recommended for: House of Night and vamp fans

(from Goodreads):  Zoey Redbird is the youngest High Priestess in House of Night history and is the only person – vamp or fledgling – that can stop the evil Neferet from raising all kinds of immortal trouble. And she might just have a chance if she wasn’t so busy being dead.

Well, dead is too strong a word. Stevie Rae knows she can bring her bff back from her unscheduled va-cay in the Otherworld. But it’s going to take a lot more than hoping to bring Zoey back. Stevie Rae will have to give up a few secrets of her own ... 

My Take: 

Hmm, I remember saying that I'd sworn off vampire books for a while.  Yet here I am, reviewing the House of Night and seriously considering taking Parajunkee's Vampire Challenge.  Ah, hell. :)   Anyway, Burned is the seventh book in the House of Night series, so most authors would be wrapping it up by now.  Not so the Casts.  I've actually heard that they're speculating that there might be fifteen House of Night books before it's all said and done.  That said, I really do enjoy reading the series and clearly they're still going strong in the popularity department.  


Burned started out with all the characters basically reacting to the events of the last book, by which I mean Zoey's soul shattering.  (I'll say no more than the summary does, I have a strict no-spoilers policy.)  The first 100 pages everybody is sort of running around accusing each other of things and informing each other of things we already know.  I wasn't ready to give up on the book, exactly, but I was definitely a little exasperated.  

Then, shortly after the 100 page mark, the book takes off.  This is the first book of the series which isn't told entirely from Zoey's point of view and it's a good thing, since Zoey isn't actually involved in a lot of the action.  This book, I think, belongs to Stevie Rae, and not just because she's on the cover.  I love the way her relationships with her boyfriend Dallas and the fallen Raven Mocker, Rephaim, evolve and the way she realizes her power as a High Priestess.  Aphrodite isn't quite her usual witchy self, but luckily she hasn't reformed beyond the point of being one of the best characters.  I did miss the 'Nerd Herd' (READ: Shaunee, Erin, Jack, and especially Damien) hanging out with Zoey and their random conversations, but I can see how it would be hard to fit them in given the constant revelations and climax scenes surrounding Stevie Rae and Stark, who is guarding Zoey's body now minus her spirit.  Stark is my favorite of Zoey's guys by far (though I like Kalona, does Kalona count?), and he definitely has to make a lot of sacrifices for her in this latest book.  The scenes I disliked most were the ones with Zoey and Heath in Nyx's realm, simply because I really can't stand Heath. (Sorry)  


All in all though, I really enjoyed reading this one and liked the way everything turned out.  My only real qualm is that I miss the House of Night.  You know, the vampire school the series is named for?  I just missed the setting of that really cool nocturnal school, and I especially missed Nala and the Nerd Herd's cats. 

Cover: 4/5 

Premise: 5/5 

Plot: 3/5 

Characters: 4/5 

Overall: 4/5

 

Complete Iron Fey Series Giveaway

I'm kicking off 2011 with a new giveaway in honor of the release of The Iron Queen, the third book in the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa!  This is also a sort of 200 followers giveaway, because I really have made it!  That's unbelievable to me, because when I started this blog less than three months ago, I would've been ecstatic to have one follower who actually cared about weird little me and my YA obsession.  Thanks so much, guys!

What You Can Win: (click cover for Goodreads page)

One lucky winner will receive the complete Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.  Giveaway is only open to US & Canada-- sorry to my international followers, but made of money I am so not.

To Enter: Leave a comment summing up your total entries (include links to anywhere you helped to spread the word for extra entries, please).   The last day to enter is January 31st.

Rules and Extra Entries:

1. You must be a follower to enter. (+1 entry automatic)

2. You must have a mailing address in the US or Canada.

3.  +2 extra entries for telling me what kind of faerie or mythological being is your favorite, or what faerie you'd most want to be. (For example, I like the shapeshifting phookas and any of the water demon-types.  Your answer doesn't have to be a faerie from the Iron Fey obviously, and if you're fonder of werejaguars or vampires or boggarts than faeries, then go right ahead.  :)

4.  +3 extra entries for a sidebar link to this giveaway.

5.  +2 for any tweet or facebook post about the giveaway and +5 extra entries for a blog post.

6. +1 extra entry for summing all your entries up.

The winner will be chosen by random.org on February 1st.  This winner will have 48 hours to respond following my notification. (If they don't respond, a new winner will be chosen, you guys know the drill.)  Good luck to everyone!

A New Years Benediction from Neil Gaiman

Wise words from one of my very favorite authors that made me smile.  I found this around the web and just wanted to pass it along.  Hope everyone's 2011 is filled with magic and dreams and good madness!

 

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA fantasy, historical
Page Count: 479 (hardcover)
Published: August 2010
(Book #1 of the Infernal Devices series)
Recommended for: fans of the Mortal Instruments series

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

My Take:

Considering how much I adore the Mortal Instruments series, I took a long time getting around to reading Clockwork Angel.  I think somehow I was convinced it couldn't possibly live up to the Mortal Instruments series (or maybe it was just that hefty hardcover price).  And after finishing it, I still don't think it did. 

Here's why: this book is an enjoyable read-- it's endowed with likeable characters and a twisty plot, a little bit of humor, and an awesomely complex fantasy world in the Shadowhunters.  But those likeable characters... they were all too familiar, for me.  Let's see, there's Will (which I remember Clare commenting was the original name for Jace in the Mortal Instruments).  To our MC Tessa, Will's an angsty, withdrawn, yet somehow irrestibly sexy Shadowhunter who obviously has big daddy issues.  The only real difference between him and Jace is that Will lives in Victorian England, and he has black hair.  He even quotes eerie poetry the way Jace does!  Next up, we have Tessa Gray, an ordinary girl caught up in the Shadowhunter world when she is kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters.  Tessa may be a previous incarnation of Clary-- she's not an exact carbon copy, but she's equally persistent, mildly aggravating, and equally devoted to her family.  The catch is that Tessa's a Downworlder with the power to shapeshift into other people.  That sounds really cool, except that Tessa hardly shifts but a few times over the course of 400 plus pages.   Also in the cast, we have Jem-- Will's best friend, the only person he trusts, who harbors a dark secret of his own; Jessamine-- a bitchy but steadfast girl who's as skilled with a parasol as Isabelle is with a whip; and Henry, who actually reminded me more of Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter with his malfunctioning inventions.

All of this works for Clockwork Angel-- it's a fun and enthralling read with a Victorian setting and characters I really cared about, but that was probably, again, because they were so like the cast of the Mortal Instruments series.  I just wish Cassandra Clare would've created new characters rather than play off her old ones.  The one imported character I was really happy to see again was Magnus Bane, the snarky, flamboyant, centuries-old warlock who saves the Mortal Instruments gang's asses a million times in the series.  He only makes a short appearance, but hopefully we'll see more of him in Clockwork Prince and City of Fallen Angels. I kind of wish Clare would write an entire book about Magnus and his past-- that would be fascinating.

Since it's a new year, I'm going to start using a new rating system, since my old one is kind of flawed. Basically I rate in four categories and then average them all to find the overall rating.  So for Clockwork Angel...

Cover: 5/5
Premise: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 2/5
Overall: 4/5