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December 30, 2012

Abandon by Meg Cabot



Abandon

Author: Meg Cabot
Series: Abandon Trilogy #1
Release Date: April 26th, 2011
Pages: 304
Review by: Max

Ever hear of the tale of Persephone?
Hades like, captured her, and she ate a pomegranate or something, so she had to stay *gasps* down there forever.
But since her mom (Demeter) was a goddess, she bargained with Hades so she only had to live in hell for half a year/six months.
Get it? Got it? Good!
(That was a terrible summary of this myth, but as long as y'all get the basic gist of it, it's fine. Ish.)

Abandon is kind of like that.

December 28, 2012

Favorites Friday 12/28/12

Hiya everybody!  Cassia here!  I hope everyone had a safe holiday!  Today's Friday, and you know what that means!  Here's our favorites from the past two weeks:

Max
Max's favorite from the past two weeks is The Curiosities by Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton.  She says that it's creepy but cool.

Tessa
Tessa's favorite from the past two weeks is Wings by Aprilynne Pike.  You can see her thoughts and rating on it in her review.

Cassia
My favorite from the past two weeks is Forever by Maggie Stuefvater, which is the third and final book in the Shiver trilogy.  The ending is amazing!   It will make you laugh, then cry, then laugh again.  I give it five stars!

Those are our favorites for the past two weeks!  If you haven't read them, you definitely should!  Happy New Years everyone!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia

December 27, 2012

Fan Fiction: Irial/Niall- "Confessions"

Hey everybody!  Cassia here!  So, for books and/or series that I really REALLY like, or love, I'll write a little Fan Fiction.  No, I'm not on fanfiction.net yet, but if I am I'll post it here.  One day I was on fanfiction.net looking at all the Wicked Lovely FanFic.  There was a lot of Irial/Niall, so I decided to write one.  This one is about what happened between Iri and Niall 1,200 years ago.  I kept it PG-13, or maybe even PG.  I tried to use a lot of Iri's exact words from the flashbacks in Ink Exchange, but somebody is borrowing my copy, and I could only remember one line. ("You can entertain the court or they can, Gancanagh.")  Remember that this is 1,200 years ago, so I tried to do that with the tavern thing.  If you've read Ink Exchange, you know what the Dark Court is really doing to those mortals, but I didn't put that in.  Oh, and did I mention it's in first person from Iri's POV?  ;)   So here's my Fan Fiction for Irial and Niall!

Confessions

Niall and I had been together for decades now.  He still knows nothing- about his being a Gancanagh, and my being the Dark King.  However, he does know that we are of the Dark Court.  He was a mess when I found him: going to a school of all places, acting as if he were only a mortal and nothing else.  I admit, any faery should have interaction with mortals, especially a Gancanagh.  I had to wonder if he even knew he was a faery.  He did, but knew nothing of the Courts whatsoever.

Now, he gazes at me from across the table at the feast.  He silently lifts his glass in a toast, and so do the Hounds and mortals around him.

"To Irial!" he calls.

"To Irial!" they echo.  I nod to acknowledge their praise.  I love him, but he is so oblivious and naive, even if it is partly my doing.  I can taste his love as raises his glass to his lips, holding my gaze.

After the feast, Niall finds me in my room at the tavern.  "Gancanagh," I say.  I shouldn't have kept him in the dark for so long, but now I must tell him.  "You know I love you, don't you?"

"Of course!  And I love you, but you already know that."

"Yes, I do know."

"Is there something wrong?" he asks with concern in his eyes.  He is not completely of the Dark Court yet, and therefore cannot taste emotion, but he can sense it, as even a mortal can.

"No.  I need to talk to you."

"Go ahead."

"You know of the Faery Courts, yes?"

"Of course.  You explained that."

"And you know that each Court has a ruler, sometimes even two, and cannot be killed by any but another ruler?"

"Yes, Irial.  What do you take me for?" he asks playfully.  He doesn't know what he really asks.

I take a deep breath, and then, evenly, I say, "I am one of those rulers, Niall."

I can see the surprise on his face as he stares at me, mouth open.  Finally he says, "I knew you were powerful, Iri."

"I am the Dark King," I tell him.  "I have held the throne of this court since before you were born."

"You could have told me," he says quietly.  I can hear the betrayal he feels, as well as taste it.  But there is more, and if I don't tell him now, I never will.  He deserves to know.

"You also remember what I told you about Gancanagh?"

"Yes, and you told me I am one."

"I am one, too, Niall.  It's not just a name.  We seduce mortals, and our touch is addictive to them.  All the mortals you have made love with are either ill or dead."

At this he staggers back, as if I had hit him.  "How could you?" is all he says.

"Don't be upset, love."

"Don't 'love' me, Irial!  How could you not tell me after all these years, our love, everything?" Now he is shaking with rage, his hands fisted at his sides.  He would hit me, but he knows now that I am king, and no one can touch me.

Now I find myself shaking with rage at his blaming me for what he did.  "You should not care about the mortals, Niall!  They are nothing more than toys for us to play with.  Those mortals you have seduced died happy, anyway!  They wanted you, and they got you.  Please don't be angry, my love.  If you had known I was king, would you have loved me all the same?  I do not want to control you.  Even if you still would have loved me, you would have wanted to swear fealty.  I can't do that to you." I take a breath, then continue, "I am tired, Niall.  You would make an excellent king."

"I can't, Irial.  If you're asking me to be your heir, no.  I will not be the monster you have become.  And you've already hurt me, Irial.  Don't you realize that?  Yes, maybe I would have treated you differently, but I still would have loved you for who you are.  I am grateful for what you have done for me, Iri, but I do not love you solely for that reason.  If you say you love me, and I know you do, you could see that I love you for who you are.  You may think you trust me, but you really don't if you can't tell me something as simple as you title.  Goodbye, Irial, and farewell." And with that, he was gone.

I couldn't believe I had lost him.  How dare he accuse me of not trusting him?  And he is wrong: he would not have loved me the same way.  If there is anything I've learned from faery politics, it's that if you tell people who you are, they will use you.

In the morning, I set out with Gabriel and his two most trusted Hounds to find Niall.  Nobody accuses the Dark King without paying.  We find him in a dark alley.  I snap my fingers, and the Hounds put his hands behind his back.  To my surprise, he does not struggle.

"My Gancanagh," I address him.  He only glares at me.  "Since you seem to care so much for your mortals, I will give you the choice.  You can entertain the Court, or they can, Gancanagh."

He continues to stare me down, but he considers it.  "I will entertain you and your monsters, Irial, if you set the mortals free," he says.

I pull a knife from my pocket and cut open my palm, then offer him the knife.  "Let us swear an oath on it, then." The Hounds release him, and he takes the knife and cuts his palm, as well.

"I, Irial, the King of the Dark Court hereby swear to let all of the mortals in possession of the Dark Court free," I promise.

"And I, Niall, hereby swear that in return for the Dark King releasing the mortals that I will give myself up to their entertainment, in whatever form it may come." We shake hands, and I can feel myself being bound to the oath.  Now I can't break the oath even if I didn't want to.  In my mind, I can try to stop my body from keeping to the oath, but my body will still follow the oath.  It's like lying- I can't break it.  And all I want to do is take it back.

"Bring him to the bruig," I order.

That night, I sit on my throne at the bruig, my fey around the edges of the faerie ring at the center of the circular clearing in the middle of the rowan forest.  The ring will keep Niall from escaping it, but my fey can enter and exit it as they please.

"Bring him in," I order.  I don't want to do this, but if the Dark fey don't see my discipline, they will become even more unruly than they already have.  Lately there have been uprisings- a scarecrow with my clothes on it hanged from a tree.  They adore me, but Bananach is whispering words of war in their ears, and they want it.  But I will not let them have it.

Two Hounds escort Niall into the ring.  All he wears is a ragged pair of trousers.  All I want is to run to him, kiss him, and tell him just how sorry I am, even if he won't have me.  But I can't.  To do that would show weakness, and I can't let my court think I am weak.  Gabriel waits for my order.  With difficulty, I nod, and they are on him.

Only about five faeries are in the ring with Niall at a time, but they play with him.  Some shove while another waits to scratch him with their claws.  Eventually Gabriel walks in.  He has a knife in his hand, and he brings it down the left side of Niall's beautiful face.  I almost cry out for them to stop, but if I did they would kill him.  To everyone else, I appear filled with rage, perhaps even enjoying Niall's abuse.  If it would have been anyone else, I would have enjoyed it.  A court cannot see their king weak, though.  I never should have gotten angry at him for calling me out, but I did.  Then I realized that Niall is not one of the faeries that will use you for your title and power.  I think I had always known that, I just wouldn't admit it to prove myself wrong.  I feel incredibly selfish, and I vow to get him back, and never hurt him again.

After two hours, Niall falls to the ground, unconscious.  "Enough!" I yell, and they retreat.  I nod to Gabriel, and he drags him out.

A fortnight later, I find Niall in a park, nervously talking to some mortal girls.  None of my fey are here, so I walk over.  "Come," I tell him.  He excuses himself and walks over cautiously.

I try to pull him in for a kiss, but he pulls away.  "Iri, I still can't believe you did it.  This time, don't come after me.  I hate you," he said, and walked away.

I knew he had a right to hate me, and just then I hated myself, too.  I felt horrible.  How could I be so ignorant to hurt the only person I ever truly loved?

December 26, 2012

Thanks!


Hey guys! Max here. How were your holidays?
It's Wednesday, but instead of listing what we're all reading, I have a different plan. It's not Thanksgiving, we're just going to thank you all anyways!

Thanks for reading, sharing, and being there! We're new to the whole blogging world, and we appreciate all your views!

Happy Holidays!

Fly on,
         Max

PS. I'm reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Tessa's reading The Necromancer by Michael Scott, and Cassia's just finished The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan.

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Hey everybody!  Cassia here!  Merry Christmas!  Or Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever holiday you may celebrate!  Here's my review of As You Wish by Jackson Pearce.




As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

When Lawrence broke up with Viola, she was devastated.  He was her everything.  She just wishes she could be happy-not have him back, because she wants him to be happy.

Jinn wants to go home to Caliban.  It’s absolutely perfect.  The jinn go around and grant wishes.  Then they go back to Caliban once they have granted their assignment three wishes.  Why won’t Viola wish already?  But soon Jinn finds himself not wanting to go home...but it might be too late.


This book is a classic fairy tale.  No, not faery, fairy.  You know, like Cinderella.  No, I mean Aladdin.  (Get it? Haha)  So, with the three wishes thing.  No, jinn are not genies.  Don’t worry, that’s what I thought.  The book explains it, but if it makes you happy, just say they’re genies.  Anyway, whoever they’re assigned to must make three wishes, and the jinn must grant them.  They don’t have names, so Viola just ends up calling her jinn Jinn.

At the beginning, Viola is just...selfish?  Sorry for herself?  Depressed?  Jinn is also kind of unlikable at the beginning.  He wants to go home, and doesn’t care what he has to do to get there.  They both get a lot better, trust me.  Then there’s the whole jinn thing.  When I said it’s a classic fairy tale, I mean cute.  It’s just all so neat, and gets tied up in a big red bow at the end.  It just reminds me of a little kid’s story, but it’s young adult for a reason.  Anyway, that’s one of the big things that made me absolutely love this book.

Pearce creates a wonderful plot and characters, and also reminds readers: Be careful what you wish for.
Five stars!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia

December 23, 2012

Review | Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings


Author: Aprilynne Pike
Series:  Wings #1
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Pages: 290
Review by: Tessa


       Laurel is a faerie.
       She does not know this until a huge flower sprouts out of her back, but she has always been a little bit weird. She is a vegan, she does not have to wash her hair, and she was dumped on her parents' porch in a basket as a baby. But she never expected to be this weird.
       Laurel just started public school after being homeschooled in a small town for all of her life. The first person she happens to meet is a boy, who to no one's surprise turns out to be the love interest. He, David, just happens to be a science nerd and knows everything about biology. David tries to help Laurel with her "problem". Apparently, bonding over mutant flowers growing out of your body is an excellent way to start a relationship.
      But then Laurel meets a male faerie, and another YA love triangle is born. She is torn between the sweet, endearing, and human David and the former lover and one of her own kind. While all this is happening, trolls are planning the downfall of the human (and faerie) world. Of course, it is up to Laurel to thwart their plans.

December 19, 2012

Whatcha Reading Wednesday 12/19/12


Howdy y'all! It's Wednesday, and this is Max, with what we of Crazy for YA are reading. Are you properly prepared for the awesomeness?

Max (I decided to go first for once)
       Is reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Pretty good. It made me think about how many different nicknames you could call someone named Elizabeth.
Tessa
       Is reading The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron. (Which, according to her, rhymes.)
Cassia
       Is reading Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, which the last in the very amazing series. Werewolves rock! She likes Cole St. Clair. A lot.

December 14, 2012

Favorites Friday 12/14/12

Hey everybody!  Cassia here!  I've got a brand new feature for you!  It's called Favorites Friday.  Every two weeks, I'm going to post our favorite books that we've read in the past two weeks, ratings, and any comments.  We read fast, so I won't post all of them, just the favorites.  Since it's the first time, I'll also post our favorites of all time.

Tessa
Tessa's favorite book of all time is Divergent by Veronica Roth.  Why?  Well, she loves Four.  Who doesn't?  She gives it five stars!  A good book she read the past two weeks is The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan.  It's the latest in the Percy Jackson series, and she liked the ending.

Max
Max doesn't like to pick favorites.  But one of her current favorites is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  Her favorite from the past two weeks is Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins.  She liked it because it's the last book in the Hex Hall series, it made her sad (not telling you why!), and there was a "super hot dude".  She also says that the main character was super funny and is a sarcasm master, kind of like herself.

Cassia
My favorite series of all time is the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.  My favorite book of all time is Darkest Mercy, the fifth and final book in the series.  I give it five stars, of course.  I loved the way it all ended up.  My favorite from the past two weeks would be Angel by James Patterson, the 7th book in the Maximum Ride series.  Four stars!

Well, that's it for today!  Happy Friday everybody!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia 

Review | Cinder by Marissa Meyer


Cinder 

Author: Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Pages: 390
Review by Max

Cinder (the character, not the book) has some problems. Her parents and her stepdad are dead, leaving her with her stepmother, the grouchiest lady in New Beijing, and her stepsisters. Plus, she's a teenaged mechanic.
Did I forget to mention she's kind of a cyborg?
And everything's about to get a whole lot worse.
On the very day she meets the charming (and seriously handsome) Prince Kai, her beloved stepsister Peony contracts letumosis, the dreaded plauge diseasish thingy.
Cinder's crushed, and it *gasps* gets even worse.
Her stepmother blames the whole thing on Cinder, and she sends her as a 'volunteer' for a cyborg study that tests the letumosis, and Cinder knows she isn't coming back alive.
But, as every fairy tale lover knows, things aren't always as they seem. Especially Cinder.
Did I forget to mention there's aliens?


December 12, 2012

Whatcha Reading Wednesday 12/12/12


Hello humanoids! Max here! How's life?
Guess what? It's 12/12/12! AND its Wednesday! Could this day get any better?
Anyways, on to the good shtuff.

Tessa
Is reading The Sorceress by Michael Scott...which happens to be purple! My favorite color! The color of royalty, creativity, luxury, and independence.

Cassia
Is reading Wake by Amanda Hocking...which happens to be blue, quite appropriate as I'm pretty sure it's about mermaid or sirens or the like.

MAX!!!
Is reading Torment by Lauren Kate, among other books, which happens to be *insert drumroll here* gray. And black, technically.  A little less exciting, eh? Oh well.

And that's it, y'all! Happy Wednesday!

Fly on,
            Max





December 11, 2012

Review | Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Hey everybody!  Cassia here!  Here's my review of Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr.

WARNING:  Fragile Eternity is the third book in the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.  If you have not read the first two books, I highly recommend that you stop reading NOW.  Thank you!

 


Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Seth wants to be with Aislinn forever.  Except he’s mortal, and she’s an immortal faery queen.  But Keenan is willing to fight for Aislinn’s heart, and wants Seth out of his way.  He is convinced that for the Summer Court to be at it’s most powerful, it needs to have two monarchs that love each other.  Seth will also do anything for Aislinn.  Including risking his life to be with her . . .

By now, Aislinn is the Summer Queen, Keenan is the Summer King, Niall is the Dark King, and Donia is the Winter Queen.  This book mainly focuses on Aislinn and Seth, and Keenan and Donia.  So for you Niall, Iri, Leslie, and Dark Court lovers, sorry!  If I had it my way, the whole series would be just about them.  The main conflict in this book is Seth trying to find a way to be with Aislinn forever, and nobody helping him.  Niall is in the book, but only for certain parts.  When he is, you see why Iri made him king.  Keenan wants more.  He isn't happy with Aislinn just being his queen.  And Donia isn't very happy about it.  There's definitely a lot of drama between them.  You get Seth's POV, which made me EXTREMELY happy.  It lets you into his thoughts, his past, and parts of his personality that weren't noticeable before.  This boom is a great follow up to the first two books, and is actually the sequel to Wicked Lovely.  Ink Exchange is really a companion book to the first book, so Fragile Eternity is the real sequel.  While Ink Exchange was dark, this book goes back to Aislinn and the Summer Court.  Oh, and you also meet Sorcha, the High Queen.  Yes, there is another court.  The High Court resides in the realm of Faery, which is different from the mortal world, and bends completely to Sorcha's will.  They are the opposite of the Dark Court, Order.  Bananach is also in the book, and she is the opposite of Sorcha.  (Marr explains it a lot better, trust me.). Overall, this book does not disappoint.
Five stars!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia

December 8, 2012

Matched by Ally Condie

Hi everybody!  Cassia here!  Ah, December.  The month of shopping and Christmas!  Just to let you all know, when I write a review, I write a summary of the book, then say what I thought about it in general and what I thought about the characters.  The summary, I wrote.  You won't find it anywhere else.  Just wanted to let you know so you don't get too confused.  Here's my review of Matched by Ally Condie.





Matched by Ally Condie

The Society is perfect.  There are only 100 songs, 100 poems, and 100 paintings.  Why should there be more?  Everyone is physically fit.  Those who choose to be Matched live wonderful, happy lives with the love of their life.  It doesn’t matter that they’ve never met them.  The Society is always right.  Everyone has 3 pills always on hand: green for calm, blue to survive, and red . . .well, nobody really knows what red does.  There is no cancer, or other diseases.  Everyone dies on their 80th birthday.

Cassia has never doubted the Society.  Why should she?  But when Cassia’s grandfather dies, and she meets a handsome boy named Ky, she’s not so sure how perfect the Society really is . .

In my mind there are two types of sci-fi: (1) The society is clearly wrong, sick, dystopian, etc., and (2) the society is dystopian, disguised as utopian (the people think it’s perfect when it’s horrible).  This book is the latter.  I’ve only read the first book so far, just to let you know.  This book has just about everything a good sci-fi has.  The only problem I found was that I really didn’t like Ally Condie’s writing style a lot, but that’s just me.  But she did create one of the best societies for a sci-fi that I’ve come across.

I really do like Cassia, hence my name on this blog.  In the beginning, you know that something’s wrong, you just don’t know what.  Cassia’s feeling the same way.  Cassia is also very likable, like I think all protagonists should be.  If you don’t like them, then what’s the point?  I mean, you have to put up with them for the whole book.  You might not think Cassia is very smart, but she really is.  I also like the type of decisions she makes.  Then you have Xander.  He is so sweet!  He’s Cassia’s best friend and somewhat love interest.  You also have Ky.  Ky is mysterious and has an uncertain past.  By the end of the book, you will know a lot more, so just give it time.

Overall, this book was really good, but I’m not a complete fan of Ally Condie’s writing style.  It isn’t bad, though!

Four stars!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia

Review | The Faerie Path by Allan Frewin Jones

The Faerie Path


The Faerie Path.jpgAuthor: Allan Frewin Jones
Series: Faerie Path #1
Release Date: February 1, 2007
Pages: 312
Review by: Tessa

"Faeries tread the Faerie Path
Amber trapped though moth wing light they be
Mortals stay in mortal world
Iron clad with half blind eyes they see
One alone will walk both worlds
Daughter last of daughters seven
With her true love by her side
Honest hand and true love given"


       Anita is just about to turn sixteen and everything is (finally) going the way she wants. She has a wonderful boyfriend, Evan, and she is Juliet in her school play in which Evan just happens to be Romeo. Her luck turns when she ends up in the hospital the day before her birthday because of a boating accident. Evan is in the hospital too and will not wake up. A mysterious person wakes her up at night and beckons her to him. He leads her into the land of Faery and her true identity. She is Tania, the seventh princess of Faery. There she discovers that she has been stuck in the Mortal Realm for over 500 years and the whole Faery Realm has been mourning her disappearance ever since. When the seemingly innocent show their true colors, it is up to Tania to save her new home.


December 5, 2012

Whatcha Reading Wednesday 12/5/12


Hiya people, it's Max again! Welcome to December! It's the month of coldness, snow (I wish) and....CHRISTMAS!
In case you can't tell, I quite like Christmas. I also like Wednesdays. Hence, today!

Cassia
        Is currently reading Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari, which I quite liked.
Tessa
        Is re-reading Faerie Path by Allan Frewin Jones, a book she very much likes but Cassia and I did not at all.
Max
       Is reading Virals by Kathy Reichs, a book that's all science-y and mystery-ey and all around coolio.

And that's it y'all! See ya next Wednesday!

Fly on,
          Max

(Yes, Cass, I fixed it.)

December 2, 2012

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall


Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall #1
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Pages: 323
Review by: Tessa

 
       Welcome to the world of powerful (and not so powerful) witches, cute warlocks, vain faeries, shapeshifters (not the same as werewolves), vampires, and Sophie Mercer.
 
       Sophie Mercer is a witch with a problem controlling her powers. She uses her powers for good, but something always goes wrong. On her prom night, Sophie misuses her magic for the last time. The Council (a lot like it sounds) sends her to Hecate Hall, a juvie for Prodigium (all magical people). Sophie has a tough first day, which involves getting attacked by a werewolf, meeting a real live (maybe not so alive) vampire, and forming a crush on the unattainable, yet totally attractive warlock Archer. Not to mention that her new roommate is the only vampire at Hecate Hall (Hex Hall for short) and the most hated person there.


December 1, 2012

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Picture
The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Author: Mary E. Pearson
Series: Jenna Fox Chronicles #1
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Pages: 266
Review by: Max

Who is Jenna Fox?
That's what everyone wants to know. Including Jenna.

Here's a summary from Mary E. Pearson's website:
http://www.marypearson.com/the-adoration-of-jenna-fox.html
Identity.

Where does it lie? In a face? A voice? A bundled string of events we call a lifetime? Is it in our DNA, bone, flesh, ancestry? How do we define our identity, and is it a once and for all definition?

Who am I? Can anyone ever know for sure just what it takes to be who we are?

We all search for our place in this world and how we fit in, but for Jenna Fox that search reaches dark new dimensions when she wakes from a coma and can’t remember who she is. Worse, she doesn’t remember the people who claim to be her parents. There is something curious about them, about the house they all live in--in fact, curious describes her whole life, as she attempts to unlock the secrets of who she was, and who she has become.


The Adoration of Jenna Fox is about Jenna’s search for identity, a quest as old as history, but as startling as the future.

Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Hey everyone!  Cassia here!  Yes, I did read it Max.  I just finished it last night.  Ha.  For you viewers, I’m not sure if she’ll post it on here or not, just to let you know.  Oh, also:  I have a brand new awesome feature!!!  But here’s the catch.  Max won’t let me do it till we get more viewers.  So . . .tell your friends!  Siblings!  Librarian!  Basically anyone who’s a bookworm or loves YA.  Please!  Thank you!  Here’s my review of Everlasting by Angie Frazier.


Camille Rowen loves the sea.  She’s always sailed on her father’s ship with him ever since her mother died.  That’s all she ever wants.  But in 1855 San Francisco, and being a lady, she’s not supposed to want that.  But she does.  Her father wants her to marry a man who is sweet and caring, everything she could want . . .but doesn’t love.  As much as Camille loves her father, she doesn’t think she can do it.  Camille climbs aboard her father’s ship for the last time.  When a storm sinks the ship, Camille, first mate Oscar, and an obnoxious sailor are the only survivors.  Now without any parents at all, Camille hears of a magical stone that can bring people back from the dead . . .can it bring her father back?

If I like a book enough, it becomes one of my favorites.   If I like a book even more, it becomes one of my favorites of my favorites.  If I love a book and I would read it again and again and again, I will buy myself a copy.  Everlasting and its sequel The Eternal Sea are some of the books that I would buy.  (Also on that list are the Wicked Lovely series, the Hush, Hush series, The Infernal Devices, and the Revenants series.)  This book is really REALLY good.  It has plot twists, amazing characters, and a pretty cool legend.  As for genre, this is one of those books that has crosses of different genres.  I think it’s a historical-fantasy-romance-adventure.  Don’t let the romance part scare you away, though.  The romance isn’t real intense, but there is some.

On to the characters!  First of all we have our protagonist Camille Rowen.  Camille is not the best person, but I really do like her.  In the second book, you’ll see what I mean.  Wait, correction.  Nobody’s perfect.  Camille just makes small mistakes.  A lot of the decisions she makes I have no idea why she does them, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad.  As far as book characters go, she is one of the best.  Then we have Randall.  Randall is the man Camille is supposed to marry, but that’s kinda put to the side when the ship wrecks.  He’s sweet, loving, caring, and really does love Camille.  But she doesn’t love him.  Not that he knows that.  Then there’s handsome first mate Oscar.  Oscar is strong, caring, and has a temper.  I’m not going to say anything else about him, to avoid spoilers.  Finally, you also meet Ira Beam.  (Yes, that is his full name, not a nickname.)  Ira has a lot of humor, even when it seems like there’s no hope.  In this book you don’t really see who he really is, but it’s hard not to like him.  Over the course of the book, he comes to care about Camille and Oscar.

This book really shows what it’s like to love someone, but when they’re gone, you have to let them go.


Five stars!
Goodbye for now,
Cassia

November 28, 2012

Whatcha Reading Wednesday 11/28/12


Hiya people of the interwebs! It's Max, and today is....*insert drumroll here* WEDNESDAY!
Y'all know what that means! Wait, what do you mean don't? It up there in the title, genius!
Anyways...on to the good stuff.

Tessa (whose name means "to reap or gather")
        Is currently (well not at this very exact moment, but you get the gist) starting Finale, the final book in the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick. I may have kinda sorta only a teensy bit ruined a part of it for her. *sheepishly smiles*

Cassia (whose names means "cinnamon")
       Is reading Need (A book your author whose name rhymes with snacks quite enjoyed) by Carrie Jones. She should also be reading the book I've lent her for us to review...YOU HEAR THAT CASSIA?

AND THE LATEST AND THE GREATEST (Just kidding, kinda)

Max (whose name means "greatest", get it? Cuz like, I said the latest and the greatest, and that's what...nevermind. Just...nevermind.)
Just finished The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson, (an amazing sci-fi that's going to be a review in the soon future) and is currently reading The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson. Whoo.

And that's it! See ya next Wednesday! And quite possibly sometime before that!

Fly on,
       Max

November 22, 2012

Review | Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Hiya everybody!  Cassia here!  First of all, happy Thanksgiving!  Max caught me at the end of Linger, but just to let you all know, I absolutely loved it!  I also formed my opinion on Cole St. Clair:  I love him!  I finally got to see who he really is.  Here’s my review of Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr:

WARNING:  Ink Exchange is the second book in the Wicked Lovely series.  Unless you have read the first book, I highly advise that you stop reading NOW.  Thank you!




Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr


Leslie needs change.  She doesn’t want all of this pain in her life anymore.  She needs something to prove to herself that she can heal.  So, she gets a tattoo.

Irial needs a way to save his court.  He can’t let them starve.  He needs a solution.  Now.  He’s found one, but at the cost of a mortal.  His solution is through a tattoo.

Leslie finds a tattoo, one that is beautifully eerie.  What she doesn’t know is what it will cost her.

A girl has chosen Irial’s tattoo.  Leslie.  Soon, Irial draws Leslie into the dark and dangerous world of the Dark Court.  Will Irial let her go?


This is my second favorite book in this series.  This book is definitely . . .darker than the others.  Do not read this book before bed.  In Wicked Lovely, you don’t see the Dark Court.  By now you know that Irial helped Beira curse Keenan.  (FYI, Keenan hates, and I mean hates, Irial.)  The Dark Court is the place of nightmares, temptation, and shadows.  As the Dark King, Irial has the power to control the shadows, but he doesn’t use it in this book.

I do like Leslie more than Aislinn.  Leslie is also strong, but she is just searching for a way to feel better.  Leslie doesn’t look to other people as much, because she doesn’t really have anybody she can trust.  Niall is also in this book.  I love him.  Niall is like Leslie, and is searching for a way to feel better.  In this book, you find out where he got those scars, why he ran to the Summer Court, and his brutal, bloody past with Irial.  Irial is the Dark King, the King of Nightmares, the King of Temptation. Pick one.  He’s held the throne of the Dark Court for at least 1,000 years, which is pretty hard if you ask me.  He’s arrogant, dark, and dangerous.  He will do anything for his court, and will give his life and more for the ones he loves.  As you know, Irial is my favorite character of ALL TIME.  Hopefully you’ll see why he is my favorite character.

Overall, this book is great.  This book explores how love can heal someone, and also the dangers of the Faery world.  It also explores what it’s like to love someone, hurt them, and then be at peace with them, and hopefully love them once again.

Five stars!

Goodbye for now,
Cassia

November 21, 2012

Whatcha Reading Wednesday 11/21/12







         
       Hey everyone! Max here, bringing to you a brand spanking new feature for our blog! Tessa came up with the wonderful idea that every Wednesday, Cassia, Tessa, and I would share what we're currently reading! Another addition to why Wednesdays are personally my favorite day of the week.

So, for today (11/21/12) we have:

Max:
   Just finished Fallen by Lauren Kate. 'Twas pretty good, except it was a little predictable. It might possibly be a review option in the near future. Hmm.
Tessa:
   Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. Prepare yourself for her blindingly poetic and elaborate review.
             She says, and I quote "It's good."
    Quality stuff, huh?
Cassia:
    Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. She said it's really good (It was), she doesn't know what to think of Cole St. Clair (who was totally the bomb) and she wants to run onto the pages (understandable).

So, yeah. All these books are great, and I've only read the first chapter of Hex Hall. Fallen and Linger are both super romantic, and Hex Hall (at least the first chapter) is funny. I suggest you read them.

What are you reading?

Fly on,
     Max

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones



Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1
Release Date: March 27, 2007
Pages: 485
Review by: Max
    
    
     When Clary Fray, a feisty, redheaded New York teenager goes to the Pandemonium Club with her nerdy but lovable best friend, Simon, she sees a boy get murdered by three other teens...and only she saw it.
     It goes downhill from there.
     Clary finds herself immersed in the world of Shadowhunters, also called Nephilim. People born with angel's blood, with one mission: to protect the world from demons.
     The next day, Clary is attacked by a demon in her very house. She manages to kill the demon, but is posioned and taken to the Institute, New York Shadowhunters HQ, by Jace, one of the boys  she saw the previous day.
      She meets Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, whose parents are head of the Institue. When Clary explains everything to Hodge, Jace, Isabelle, and Alec's guardian, some freaky stuff is discovered, and Clary realizes that her life is more intertwined with Shadowhuntery than she thought.
    
   There's warlocks, vampires, faeries, werewolves, fighting, and romance. What more could you want?
    As the first book in a trilogy, now technically a six-book series, I didn't really know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised.
    This book was great. There really aren't any other words I could use to describe it. Well, there probably are. Fantabulous? Terrific? Jaw-droppingly attention-catching? Jace-tastic? All of these probably fit just as well, but I'm sticking with great.
    Plus, it's going to be a movie!

Fly on,
     Max