That's right. There will be challenges, and most of all..... fun. And to get the inside scoop, all you have to do is contact me.
Do you want the inside scoop, or know a book blogger who does? Contact me at: enchantedbyabook@outlook.com to receive the full inside scoop on the biggest challenge ever. The only thing you must do to apply is bring at least one new follower to this blog and shoot me an email. I promise this will be an event you will never forget! Spread the word! Copy and paste this into a post on your blog! Whatever you must do, but book bloggers, now is the time to apply. This will be so much fun!
This message is from Sarah at www.enchantedbyabook.blogspot.com
Monday, July 8, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
A Special Treat!!!
Hey guys! The reason I have not been posting very much lately is because I have been getting ready a very special post for a very special occasion that only happens once a year...... TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY!
Yes, I know. How amazing. And so in honor of my birthday I will post the top FIFTEEN books on my TBR list , my top TEN books that are being released in 2013-2014, and last but not least, something really funny from LeakySquid.com. You guys are in for a real treat!!!
Her eyes saved his life.
Her dreams released his darkness.
After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can't take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he's made eye contact with. If he doesn't sleep soon, Parker will die.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker's furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he'd go. And when someone begins to terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker's memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.
Your heart beats only with their permission.
Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.
Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.
She's different. She survived. Why?
When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.
Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.
Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future.
3. Ten by Gretchen McNeil
SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.
But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.
Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
4. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
5. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.
Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.
When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.
6. Pivot Point by Kasie West
Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.
In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.
7. Transparent by Natalie Whipple
Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.
An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.
After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.
Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.
8. Taken by Erin Bowman
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.
They call it the Heist.
Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.
Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?
9. The Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
The worldwide bestseller, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, with featured cover art from the major motion picture starring Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin.
Once again, the Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who?
Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.
Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. He excels in simulated war games. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game.
Isn’t it?
10. Ink by Amanda Sun
I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.
Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.
A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.
And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.
On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.
Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.
11. Gone by Michael Grant
In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE.
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...
12. The Originals by Cat Patrick
A riveting new story from Cat Patrick, author of Forgotten and Revived.
17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...
Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.
13. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.
There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.
Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.
Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.
14. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
15. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?
Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?
One choice will define you.
What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.
My quick note: I am most excited for this book!!! AH! Divergent is my favorite series and this is it. The conclusion. There better be an epic battle and.... fine.... some kissing. I really, really need this book to move up it's release date- PUH-LEASE! I love Four and Tris is one of the most epic heroines ever!
2. The City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare Release Date: April 2014
ERCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.
I am coming.
Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!
My quick note: Looks at the cover. Feels tears edging in eyes. This can't be the real cover, right?? Looks at release date. They moved it up another month. Bawls.
3. Cress by Marissa Meyer Release Date: March 2014
Rapunzel's tower is a satellite. She can't let down her hair - or her guard. In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker – unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.
My quick note: *While researching for this post * WAIT, IT HAS A SYNOPSIS! When did that happen. Faints. Wakes up again. Wait, Rapunzel?!?!? Faints again.
4. The One by Kiera Cass Release Date: May 6th, 2014
America must decide if she's truly the One.
Don't miss the captivating conclusion to The Selection trilogy.
My quick note: WHAT THE HECK? No cover, no synopsis, and such a far away release date for the stunning conclusion to one of my favorite series??? One moment.
5. United We Spy by Ally Carter Release Date: September 5th, 2013
Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.
My quick note: Zach. Zach. Zach. Zach. ZACH. ZACH! ZACH!! ZACH!!! ZACH!!!!!
6. Vitro by Jessica Khoury Release Date: January 14, 2014
On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings--the Vitros--have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.
Sophie Crue is determined to visit Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. She enlists hunky charter pilot Jim Julien to take her there. But once on the island, Sophie and Jim encounter more than they bargained for, including a charming, brilliant Vitro named Nicholas and an innocent, newly awoken one named Lux.
In a race for their lives, Sophie and Jim are about to discover what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach.
My quick note: Reads Origin. Bawls, "it is a standalone novel!!!" Oooh..... Vitro. Sounds interesting. Must read!
7. Champion by Marie Lu Release Date: November 5th, 2013
He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.
My quick note: That ending to Prodigy was absolutely scandalous! Eagerly awaiting November.
8. Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans Release Date: September 17, 2013
The hair-raising action continues for Michael Vey in this charged third installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling series.In the third book of the electrifying Michael Vey series, Michael and his friends must continue to fight the Elgen and try to disrupt their plans to rule the world.
THIS ISN'T THE FINALE!!!! WTH??? If you have not read this series, start it now, got it?
9. House of Hades by Rick Riordan Release Date: October 8th, 2013
At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?
They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.
My quick note: OCTOBER? Why can't that month HURRY UP? Oh, how I hated the MoA ending! But look at that amazing cover. Wowie.
10. Untitled (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi
Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she’ll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew—about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam—was wrong.
In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was “dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.
Praise for the Shatter Me series:
“Dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense. I dare you to stop reading.”—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures series
“Tahereh Mafi’s bold, inventive prose crackles with raw emotion. A thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love, the Shatter Me series is a must-read for fans of dystopian young adult literature—or any literature!”—Ransom Riggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
“Addictive, intense, and oozing with romance. I’m envious. I couldn’t put it down.”—Lauren Kate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fallen series.
HOW DO COURT RECORDERS KEEP STRAIGHT FACES????
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
_______________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
_________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget..
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you kidding me?
________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death..
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral...
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________
And last:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No..
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
Or two.....
I hope you guys liked and actually read this post. What is your ultimate TBR and new releases list? Comment below!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Sorry, couldn't help it.
Yes, I know. How amazing. And so in honor of my birthday I will post the top FIFTEEN books on my TBR list , my top TEN books that are being released in 2013-2014, and last but not least, something really funny from LeakySquid.com. You guys are in for a real treat!!!
Top Fifteen Books on My TBR List:
(in no particular order)
- Insomnia by J.R. Johanasson
Her eyes saved his life.Her dreams released his darkness.
After four years of sleeplessness, high school junior Parker Chipp can't take much more. Every night, instead of sleeping, he enters the dreams of the last person he's made eye contact with. If he doesn't sleep soon, Parker will die.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. But what starts out as a chance meeting turns into an obsession; Parker's furious desire for what he needs pushes him to extremes he never thought he'd go. And when someone begins to terrorizing Mia with twisted death threats, Parker's memory blackouts leave him doubting his own innocence.
2. Icons by Margaret Stohl
Your heart beats only with their permission.Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.
Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside -- safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.
She's different. She survived. Why?
When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.
Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions -- which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses -- may actually be their greatest strengths.
Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts -- in order to save the future.
3. Ten by Gretchen McNeil
SHHHH!Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.
But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.
Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
4. The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
5. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger
Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.
When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.
6. Pivot Point by Kasie West
In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.
7. Transparent by Natalie Whipple
An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.
After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.
Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.
8. Taken by Erin Bowman
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.They call it the Heist.
Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.
Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?
9. The Enders Game by Orson Scott Card
The worldwide bestseller, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, with featured cover art from the major motion picture starring Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin.Once again, the Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who?
Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.
Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. He excels in simulated war games. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game.
Isn’t it?
10. Ink by Amanda Sun
I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.
A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.
And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.
On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.
Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.
11. Gone by Michael Grant
Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...
12. The Originals by Cat Patrick
A riveting new story from Cat Patrick, author of Forgotten and Revived.17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...
Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.
13. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.
Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.
Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.
14. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
15. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?
Top Ten Releases in 2013-2014
1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth Release Date: October 22, 2013
One choice will define you.What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.
My quick note: I am most excited for this book!!! AH! Divergent is my favorite series and this is it. The conclusion. There better be an epic battle and.... fine.... some kissing. I really, really need this book to move up it's release date- PUH-LEASE! I love Four and Tris is one of the most epic heroines ever!
2. The City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare Release Date: April 2014
ERCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.
I am coming.
Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!
My quick note: Looks at the cover. Feels tears edging in eyes. This can't be the real cover, right?? Looks at release date. They moved it up another month. Bawls.
3. Cress by Marissa Meyer Release Date: March 2014
Rapunzel's tower is a satellite. She can't let down her hair - or her guard. In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker – unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can. My quick note: *While researching for this post * WAIT, IT HAS A SYNOPSIS! When did that happen. Faints. Wakes up again. Wait, Rapunzel?!?!? Faints again.
4. The One by Kiera Cass Release Date: May 6th, 2014
America must decide if she's truly the One.Don't miss the captivating conclusion to The Selection trilogy.
My quick note: WHAT THE HECK? No cover, no synopsis, and such a far away release date for the stunning conclusion to one of my favorite series??? One moment.
5. United We Spy by Ally Carter Release Date: September 5th, 2013
My quick note: Zach. Zach. Zach. Zach. ZACH. ZACH! ZACH!! ZACH!!! ZACH!!!!!
6. Vitro by Jessica Khoury Release Date: January 14, 2014
On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings--the Vitros--have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.Sophie Crue is determined to visit Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. She enlists hunky charter pilot Jim Julien to take her there. But once on the island, Sophie and Jim encounter more than they bargained for, including a charming, brilliant Vitro named Nicholas and an innocent, newly awoken one named Lux.
In a race for their lives, Sophie and Jim are about to discover what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach.
My quick note: Reads Origin. Bawls, "it is a standalone novel!!!" Oooh..... Vitro. Sounds interesting. Must read!
7. Champion by Marie Lu Release Date: November 5th, 2013
He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.
My quick note: That ending to Prodigy was absolutely scandalous! Eagerly awaiting November.
8. Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans Release Date: September 17, 2013
The hair-raising action continues for Michael Vey in this charged third installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling series.In the third book of the electrifying Michael Vey series, Michael and his friends must continue to fight the Elgen and try to disrupt their plans to rule the world. THIS ISN'T THE FINALE!!!! WTH??? If you have not read this series, start it now, got it?
9. House of Hades by Rick Riordan Release Date: October 8th, 2013
At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.
My quick note: OCTOBER? Why can't that month HURRY UP? Oh, how I hated the MoA ending! But look at that amazing cover. Wowie.
10. Untitled (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi
Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she’ll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew—about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam—was wrong.
In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was “dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.
Praise for the Shatter Me series:
“Dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense. I dare you to stop reading.”—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures series
“Tahereh Mafi’s bold, inventive prose crackles with raw emotion. A thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love, the Shatter Me series is a must-read for fans of dystopian young adult literature—or any literature!”—Ransom Riggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
“Addictive, intense, and oozing with romance. I’m envious. I couldn’t put it down.”—Lauren Kate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fallen series.
And last but not least.... have a laugh!!!
(credit: www.leakysquid.com)
HOW DO COURT RECORDERS KEEP STRAIGHT FACES????
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
_______________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
_________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget..
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you kidding me?
________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death..
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral...
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________
And last:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No..
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
Or two.....
I hope you guys liked and actually read this post. What is your ultimate TBR and new releases list? Comment below!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Sorry, couldn't help it.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday #7
Sorry, this one is a day late. I was so busy yesterday and was not able to post my WOW. Here it is:
This is our seventh Waiting on Wednsday hosted by a blog called Breaking the Spine at www.breakingthespine.blogspot.com
The book I am waiting for this week is:
Belladonna by Fiona Paul
Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he′s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass′s life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose -- the only evidence that will prove he is innocent.
So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of corruption, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who′s working for the Order′s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.
Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time?
Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all..
This is our seventh Waiting on Wednsday hosted by a blog called Breaking the Spine at www.breakingthespine.blogspot.comThe book I am waiting for this week is:
Belladonna by Fiona Paul
Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca seems to have his own secrets. When he′s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass′s life is once again thrown into chaos. She must save Luca, and that means finding the Book of the Eternal Rose -- the only evidence that will prove he is innocent.
So begins her journey to Florence, a city haunted by whispers of corruption, secret soirees and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose. And home to Falco, who′s working for the Order′s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.
Can Cass trust her heart to lead her to the truth this time?
Nothing is as it seems in this seductive thriller, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all..
I know that I didn't really like the first one, but that was because I disliked Falco. Hopefully Luca will be a huge part to this story!!!!
Classics on my To-Read List
The Classics were some of the first works in literature. They have inspired other writers and are the reason we have books here today. I have read Princess Bride, How to Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Hobbit, and the Diary of Anne Frank. These are books I still need to read. I will be reading those during the Back in Time Challenge which will hopefully take place in December-January. What are some classics on your TBR list? Comment below!
The Tale of Two Cities
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... These well-known and loved lines begin Dickens's most exciting novel, set during the bloodiest moments of the French Revolution. When former aristocrat Charles Darnay learns that an old family servant needs his help, he abandons his safe haven in England and returns to Paris. But once there, the Revolutionary authorities arrest him not for anything he has done, but for his rich family's crimes. Also in danger: his wife, Lucie, their young daughter, and her aged father, who have followed him across the Channel.
This is Dickens’s only novel that lacks comic relief, and one of only two that are not set in nineteenth-century England. It is also unusual in lacking a primary central character. London and Paris are the real protagonists in this tale, much as the cathedral was the 'hero' of Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris.
Pride and Prejudice
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners--one of the most popular novels of all time--that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the "most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of its author's works," and Eudora Welty in the twentieth century described it as "irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be."
The Great Gatsby
In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest work and certainly the book for which he is best known. A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream.It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. Spare, elegantly plotted, and written in crystalline prose, The Great Gatsby is as perfectly satisfying as the best kind of poem.
Fahrenheit 451
Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires...
The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning ... along with the houses in which they were hidden.
Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.
Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think... and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do.
The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning ... along with the houses in which they were hidden.
Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.
Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think... and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do.
Alice and Wonderland
Weary of her storybook, one "without pictures or conversations," the young and imaginative Alice follows a hasty hare underground--to come face-to-face with some of the strangest adventures and most fantastic characters in all of literature. The Ugly Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the weeping Mock Turtle, the diabolical Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat--each more eccentric than the last--could only have come from that master of sublime nonsense, Lewis Carroll.
In penning this brilliant burlesque of children's literature, Carroll has written a farcical satire of rigid Victorian society, an arresting parody of the fears, anxieties, and complexities of growing up.
Carroll was one of the few adult writers to successfully enter the children's world of make-believe: where the impossible becomes possible, the unreal--real, and where the height of adventure is limited only by the depths of imagination.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Insomnia Author Interview
I have a real treat for you today, folks! The author of a new thriller, Insomnia, J.R. Johanasson, has agreed to do an interview for this blog, and so I am pleased and excited to share this new post and interview with you!!!
First off, a spotlight on the book:
It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.
Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.
Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?
What gave you the idea for this book?
First off, a spotlight on the book:
It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.
Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?
Thank you for accepting this interview! Some of these questions are serious, but I have one or two that might be fun.
What is Insomnia about? What makes it different from other books?
What is Insomnia about? What makes it different from other books?
I think at its core, Insomnia is about the fight between good and evil that occurs within every person. It's a universal theme that applies to everyone. I think there are several things that make it different. It's a high tension, plot driven character with a male main character and there isn't a love triangle...just to name a few. ;-)
What gave you the idea for this book?
I have weird dreams and I started thinking about what other people would think if they saw my dreams or vice versa. It kind of spiraled out from there. With the book before this one, I realized that I had a real strength in the area of writing darker books and Insomnia was the first book where I decided to focus on that area and go all in. It was a unique experience that truly changed the entire path of my career. I couldn't be happier about it.
What are some of your favorite things about your main character, Parker?
What are some of your favorite things about your main character, Parker?
I like how Parker faces some terrible and terrifying situations, but he keeps trying. He's resilient but he isn't perfect. I think these things make him a very interesting character.
(Now for some fun questions!)
If you were stuck in the Hunger Games arena, what would be your strategy to stay alive?
(Now for some fun questions!)
If you were stuck in the Hunger Games arena, what would be your strategy to stay alive?
I think I'd be like Rue. Learn to hide and hunt and survive and wait for everyone else to kill themselves off. Of course, she did die...and I probably would, too.
If you could have the superpower of any superhero for an entire month, what would you choose?
If you could have the superpower of any superhero for an entire month, what would you choose?
I'd be able to stop time like Hiro from Heroes. I have SO much to do and not enough time to do it. I think this would help me finally catch up with everything. Plus, maybe I could knock out a few of those books on my massive tbr list. ;-)
Thanks for doing this interview! I am so excited to read Insomnia and I know that a whole lot of others are, too! :)
Thanks for doing this interview! I am so excited to read Insomnia and I know that a whole lot of others are, too! :)
Thank you for having me! These were fun questions! :)
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Clockwork Princess
Book Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages: 570
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural
Books like it: Breaking Dawn, City of Fallen Angels
Favorite quote: “Life is a book, and there are a thousand pages I have not read. I would read them together with you, as many as I can, before I die -"
She put her hand against his chest, just over his heart, and felt its beat against her palm, a unique time signature that was all its own. "I only wish you would not speak of dying," she said. "But even for that, yes, I know how you are with your words, and, Will- I love all of them. Every word you say. The silly ones, the mad ones, the beautiful ones, and the ones that are only for me. I love them, and I love you.”
Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
The Infernal Devices will never stop coming.
Tessa Gray should be happy – aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net shadows begins to tighten around the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. And he needs only one last item to complete his plan: Tessa.
The Shadowhunters are desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever. But their small group cannot stand alone, and the powerful Consul doubts Mortmain's advance. The Shadowhunters find themselves trapped when Mortmain seizes the medicine that keeps Jem alive; now it is up to Will to risk everything to save the girl he and Jem both love. But Tessa is discovering her own powerful true nature. Can a lone girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?
The Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.
Trailer:
My Summary:
While reading this book I was completely and utterly devastated. Sorry to all the Jem fans out there, but I was totally voting for Will and Tessa. After all, they are the exact same and perfect for each other, and it seems that Tessa agrees with me:
"Don't you see, Will? You are a person, like me." His eyes watched her face, mystified, she held his hand tighter, lacing her fingers with his. "Don't you see, Will? You are a person like me. You are like me. You say the things I think but never say out loud. You read the books I read. You love the poetry I love. You make me laugh with your ridiculous songs and the way you see the truth of everything. I feel like you can look inside me and see all the places I am odd or unusual and fit your heart around them, for you are odd and unusual in the same way."
Bawling. Just kidding. So anyway, off to the actual summary of the book, with brief interruptions of some of my favorite Will quotes. After Clockwork Prince left off with the cruel breaking of Will's heart and Jem's unexpected and fast proposal to Tessa, I was demanding justice! How dare she break my Will's heart. It seems that whenever I pick a side in a love triangle, I always loose, and that is why I do not like love triangles.
“I'm afraid to answer that. I've heard that when I speak, it makes American women wish to strike me with umbrellas.”
In Clockwork Princess, Tessa is getting ready for her wedding with Jem when she comes to two very big problems. The first is that the drug that Jem's life is dependent on is now gone, and he is rapidly approaching the brink of death. (And I am not a sadistic person, although I don't want him with Tessa, I like Jem and do worry about him.) The second problem is this: One day at the Institute, Tessa is kidnapped by the Infernal Devices and taken to Mortmain, and with Jem laying on his sick bed and everyone else searching for a cure, Will is the only one who can save her. (I am getting very excited at this point in the story, here comes the wonderful knight in shining armor!) Anyway, Tessa discovers that she is the key in Mortmain's plan to destroy the Nephilim. Can one girl, however small and alone, defeat the Infernal Devices and save the ones she loves? Can Will reach her in time?
“Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read.”
In conclusion, you will definitely get what is expected when you read this book, including love, sacrifice, action, forgiveness, loss, courage, and believing in yourself. I absolutely loved this book although the epilogue made me bawl for everyone's sake, and let me say this: I loved the Infernal Devices and am heartbroken that it is over, but glad that I read it.
“The world is a wheel...when we rise or fall, we do it together.”
Pros: This book was the second best in the entire series. Clockwork Angel will always be my favorite, but this was a close second. It had just the right amounts of action, love, mystery, and suspenseful twists. Both Will and Jem lovers were given satisfaction, and Tessa discovered new things about herself. Although some parts in the story were slow, it picked up the pace after a while and it was well worth the patience. The epilogue was heartbreaking and beautiful and I loved it.
Cons: I can not believe that there is only three books in TID, and six in TMI, when the Infernal Devices, in my opinion, were so much better. Tessa is now on my list of favorite female heroines, probably landing second place after Tris from Divergent. I know that I really need to work on my cons, or maybe I should just get rid of them :) Some parts of the bok are slow and they do drag along, but be patient.
Cautions for Parents: Brief scenes of violence and mild language. Recommended age 12+. Review: 4 stars
Author: Cassandra Clare Number of Pages: 570
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural
Books like it: Breaking Dawn, City of Fallen Angels
Favorite quote: “Life is a book, and there are a thousand pages I have not read. I would read them together with you, as many as I can, before I die -"
She put her hand against his chest, just over his heart, and felt its beat against her palm, a unique time signature that was all its own. "I only wish you would not speak of dying," she said. "But even for that, yes, I know how you are with your words, and, Will- I love all of them. Every word you say. The silly ones, the mad ones, the beautiful ones, and the ones that are only for me. I love them, and I love you.”
Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
The Infernal Devices will never stop coming.
Tessa Gray should be happy – aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net shadows begins to tighten around the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. And he needs only one last item to complete his plan: Tessa.
The Shadowhunters are desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever. But their small group cannot stand alone, and the powerful Consul doubts Mortmain's advance. The Shadowhunters find themselves trapped when Mortmain seizes the medicine that keeps Jem alive; now it is up to Will to risk everything to save the girl he and Jem both love. But Tessa is discovering her own powerful true nature. Can a lone girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?
The Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.
Trailer:
My Summary:
While reading this book I was completely and utterly devastated. Sorry to all the Jem fans out there, but I was totally voting for Will and Tessa. After all, they are the exact same and perfect for each other, and it seems that Tessa agrees with me:
"Don't you see, Will? You are a person, like me." His eyes watched her face, mystified, she held his hand tighter, lacing her fingers with his. "Don't you see, Will? You are a person like me. You are like me. You say the things I think but never say out loud. You read the books I read. You love the poetry I love. You make me laugh with your ridiculous songs and the way you see the truth of everything. I feel like you can look inside me and see all the places I am odd or unusual and fit your heart around them, for you are odd and unusual in the same way."
Bawling. Just kidding. So anyway, off to the actual summary of the book, with brief interruptions of some of my favorite Will quotes. After Clockwork Prince left off with the cruel breaking of Will's heart and Jem's unexpected and fast proposal to Tessa, I was demanding justice! How dare she break my Will's heart. It seems that whenever I pick a side in a love triangle, I always loose, and that is why I do not like love triangles.
“I'm afraid to answer that. I've heard that when I speak, it makes American women wish to strike me with umbrellas.”
In Clockwork Princess, Tessa is getting ready for her wedding with Jem when she comes to two very big problems. The first is that the drug that Jem's life is dependent on is now gone, and he is rapidly approaching the brink of death. (And I am not a sadistic person, although I don't want him with Tessa, I like Jem and do worry about him.) The second problem is this: One day at the Institute, Tessa is kidnapped by the Infernal Devices and taken to Mortmain, and with Jem laying on his sick bed and everyone else searching for a cure, Will is the only one who can save her. (I am getting very excited at this point in the story, here comes the wonderful knight in shining armor!) Anyway, Tessa discovers that she is the key in Mortmain's plan to destroy the Nephilim. Can one girl, however small and alone, defeat the Infernal Devices and save the ones she loves? Can Will reach her in time?
“Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read.”
In conclusion, you will definitely get what is expected when you read this book, including love, sacrifice, action, forgiveness, loss, courage, and believing in yourself. I absolutely loved this book although the epilogue made me bawl for everyone's sake, and let me say this: I loved the Infernal Devices and am heartbroken that it is over, but glad that I read it.
“The world is a wheel...when we rise or fall, we do it together.”
Pros: This book was the second best in the entire series. Clockwork Angel will always be my favorite, but this was a close second. It had just the right amounts of action, love, mystery, and suspenseful twists. Both Will and Jem lovers were given satisfaction, and Tessa discovered new things about herself. Although some parts in the story were slow, it picked up the pace after a while and it was well worth the patience. The epilogue was heartbreaking and beautiful and I loved it.
Cons: I can not believe that there is only three books in TID, and six in TMI, when the Infernal Devices, in my opinion, were so much better. Tessa is now on my list of favorite female heroines, probably landing second place after Tris from Divergent. I know that I really need to work on my cons, or maybe I should just get rid of them :) Some parts of the bok are slow and they do drag along, but be patient.
Cautions for Parents: Brief scenes of violence and mild language. Recommended age 12+. Review: 4 stars
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages:
Genres: Supernatural Romance, Fantasy
Books like it: Hex Hall, City of Bones, Twilight
My favorite quote: “Ah,” said a voice from the doorway, “having your annual ‘everyone thinks Will is a lunatic’ meeting, are you?
“It’s biannual,” said Jem. “And no, this is not that meeting.”
Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
It’s time—for the riveting sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling Clockwork Angel! The situation at the London Institute has never been more precarious. With Mortmain and his clockwork army still threatening, the Council wants to strip Charlotte of her power and hand the running of the Enclave over to the unscrupulous and power-hungry Benedict Lightwood. In the hope of saving Charlotte and the Institute, Will, Jem, and Tessa set out to unravel the secrets of Mortmain’s past—and discover unsettling Shadowhunter connections that hold the key not only to the enemy’s motivations, but also to the secret of Tessa’s identity. Tessa, already caught between the affections of Will and Jem, finds herself with another choice to make when she learns how the Shadowhunters helped make her a “monster.” Will she turn from them to her brother, Nate, who has been begging her to join him at Mortmain’s side? Where will her loyalties—and love—lie? Tessa alone can choose to save the Shadowhunters of London…or end them forever.
Trailer:
My Summary: My advice to you right now is this:
“They’re not hideous,” said Tessa.
Will blinked at her. “What?”
“Gideon and Gabriel,” said Tessa. “They’re really quite good-looking, not hideous at all.”
“I spoke,” said Will, in sepulchral tones, “of the pitch-black inner depths of their souls.”
Tessa snorted. “And what color do you suppose the inner depths of your soul are, Will Herondale?”
“Mauve,” said Will.
My answer: Heck no!
Be prepared for love, mystery, pain, curses, sacrifice, and a lot of good vs. evil. And a lot of crying over Will and telling Jem to back off, if you are on Team Will like me. What I really liked about the Clockwork Prince was you learned a lot about why Will acts like poison to everyone who shows kindness to him, and there is also a lot of sweet things that Will does and says that makes me want to TAKE HIM AWAY FROM TESSA! If she doesn't want him, fine, but I want him!
This is a part from the Clockwork Prince, found in Chapter 5 on page 113. I think this is one of the best Will and Tessa moments in the whole series, and most don't agree with me.
“Tess.” A voice came urgently in her ear. “Tess, you’re dreaming. Wake up. Wake up.” Hands
were on her shoulders, shaking her; her eyes flew open and she was gasping in
her ugly gray dimly lit room at the York Institute. The covers were tangled
around her, and her nightgown stuck to her back with sweat. Her skin felt as if
it were burning. She still saw the Dark Sisters, saw Nate laughing at her, and
Henry dissecting her heart.
“It was a dream?” she said. “It felt so real, so utterly
real-“
She broke off.
“Will,” she whispered. He still wore his dinner clothes,
though they were rumpled, his black hair tangled, as if he had fallen asleep
without changing for bed. His hands remained on her shoulders, warming her cold
skin through the material of her nightgown.
“What did you dream?” he said. His tone was calm and
ordinary, as if there were nothing unusual about her waking up and finding him
sitting on the edge of her bed.
She shuddered at the memory.
“I dreamed that I was being taken apart-that bits of me were being put
on display for Shadowhunters to laugh at-“
“Tess.” He touched her hair gently, pushing the tangled
locks behind her ears. She felt pulled to him, like iron fillings to a magnet.
Her arms ached to go around him, her head to rest on the crook of his shoulder.
“That Starkweather is an idiot for
showing you what he did, but you must know that it’s not like that anymore. The
Accords have forbidden spoils. It was just a dream.”
But no, she
thought. This is a dream. Her eyes
had adjusted to the dark; the gray light in the room made his eyes glow an
almost unearthly blue, like a cat’s. When she drew a shuddering breath, her
lungs filled with the scent of him, Will and salt and trains and smoke and
rain, and she wondered if he had been out, walking the streets of York as he
did in London. “Where have you been?” she whispered. “You smell like nighttime.”
“Out kicking over traces. As usual.” He touched her cheek
with warm, calloused fingers. “Can you sleep now? We’re meant to rise early tomorrow.
Starkweather is lending us his carriage so that we might investigate Ravenscar
Manor. You, of course, are welcome to remain here. You need not accompany us.”
She shuddered. “Stay here without you? In this big, gloomy
place? I would prefer not to.”
“Tess.” His voice was ever so gentle. “That must have been
quite a nightmare, to have taken the spirit out of you so. Usually you are not
afraid of much.”
“It was awful. Even Henry was in my dream. He was taking
apart my heart as if it were made of clockwork.”
“Well, that settles it,” Will said. “Pure fantasy. As if Henry is a danger
to anyone except himself.” When she didn’t smile, he added, fiercely, “I would
never let anyone touch a hair on your head. You know that, don’t you, Tess?”
I hope you enjoyed this review, and I think I will end here. The Clockwork Prince has much in store for you, please read it!
*None of the images above are mine.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Clockwork Angel
Book Title: Clockwork AngelAuthor: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages: 478
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Supernatural
Books like it: The City of Bones, Hex Hall
My Favorite Quote: “One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”
Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:
Orphan Tessa Gray, sixteen, crosses the ocean from New York to find her brother Nate in Victorian London, her only possession a clockwork angel necklace from her mother. She is ignorant of her power to transform; the Dark sisters are not. They kidnap her for the Magister, who wants to marry Tessa and claim her power.
Shadowhunters, warriors of angel blood, battle demons and keep the peace in the Downworld of vampires, warlocks and other supernaturals. Orphan teen Shadowhunters Jem, Will, and Jess rescue Tessa and agree to help save Nate. Vengeful vampire Lady Camille Belcourt and her current lover, warlock Magnus Bane provide entrée to the Magister's secret Pandemonium Club.
Trailer:
My Summary:
I never thought that Clare could top a series like the Mortal Instruments, but after picking up my new copy of Clockwork Angel, I could not believe how utterly wrong I was! I was BLOWN AWAY. In the first few pages, you are completely hooked because there is a girl named Tessa who has a unique talent: She can Change. By changing, I mean she can hold an object that belonged to someone and completely Change her appearance to look like them. I have never heard of this talent before, and I thought it was an amazing idea! Two evil old ladies are forcing Tessa to Change, and preparing her for her marriage to a mysterious being called the Magister. Tessa is afraid, but if she tries to escape, they have one thing to hold against her: they have her brother.
And of course, when there is a damsel in distress, there has to be a knight in shining armor.
WILL!!!!
“Let me give you a piece of advice. The handsome young fellow who's trying to rescue you from a hideous fate is never wrong. Not even if he says the sky is purple and made of hedgehogs.”
If you can't tell, there is going to be a love triangle in this book, and I am definitely Team Will. Well, anyway, not to fear: he saves her, and takes her back to his castle. Or, rather, the Institute. There, Tessa learns that she is a Downworlder, and that there is another world that has been unknown to her. Will is something called a Shadowhunter, that fights vampires and werewolves and demons. Something called the Pandemonium Club is responsible for multiple deaths and a secret organization determined to take over the Shadow World and the race of humanity. With a further investigation, they learn that the Magister is building clockwork creatures to use for a secret army. With the help of Will, Jem, Charlotte, and Jessamine, Tessa's new friends, can Tessa stop the Magister, rescue her brother, and find out who she really is?
Find out in this enchanting story written by Cassandra Clare.
Also, everyone is very in love with Jem. Jem has a secret that might be threatening his life. Tessa finds him intriguingly mysterious, oddly beautiful, and kind. He never looses his temper and is a safe harbor for her to go to. Then there is Will, who is the complete opposite. Don't be fooled by his gorgeously great looks, he has a sharp and sarcastic tongue and is ready to be venomous to anyone who attempts to show him kindness. (Sound familiar? He is a lot like the Jace Wayland from TMI) Although he is frequently mean to her, Tessa finds herself drawn to him. Despite the fact that it seems that he is a coldhearted boy, his few acts of kindness lead Tessa to believe he is not what he fools everyone to be.
“That was enterprising," Will sounded nearly impressed.
Nate smiled. Tess shot him a furious look. "Don't look pleased with yourself. When Will says 'enterprising' he means 'morally deficient.'"
"No, I mean enterprising," said Will. "When I mean morally deficient, I say, 'Now, that's something I would have done."
In conclusion, Clockwork Angel was a refreshing and enchanting read from Cassandra Clare. I think that it will be the next supernatural romance, but unlike Twilight, I found it interesting and unique. If you have entered the world of Shadowhunters through Clary Fray you will love it even more through Tessa Gray. And even if you have not read TMI, again, I thought TID was a million times better anyway.
“You know," Gabriel said, "there was a time I thought we could be friends, Will."
"There was a time I thought I was a ferret," Will said, "but that turned out to be the opium haze. Did you know it had that effect? Because I didn't.”
Pros: I love this author because she brings new and unique ideas to the table. Her new take on shape-changers was fascinating, and I loved how she opened every chapter with a poem or expert from one of the classics. It adds a more classical taste to these books and an appreciation for the great works that some young readers have forgotten and left in the dust.
Cons: I know that I stink at doing cons. I'm sure critics of fiction would have a lot to say about how stupid these books were but I enjoyed the whole series.
Cautions for Parents: Brief scenes of violence and a little bit of mild language.
Review: 5 stars
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday #6
This is our sixth Waiting on Wednsday hosted by a blog called Breaking the Spine at www.breakingthespine.blogspot.comThe book I am waiting for this week is:
A riveting new story from Cat Patrick, author of Forgotten and Revived.
17-year-olds Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey Best grew up as identical triplets... until they discovered a shocking family secret. They're actually closer than sisters, they're clones. Hiding from a government agency that would expose them, the Best family appears to consist of a single mother with one daughter named Elizabeth. Lizzie, Ella, and Betsey take turns going to school, attending social engagements, and a group mindset has always been a de facto part of life...
Then Lizzie meets Sean Kelly, a guy who seems to see into her very soul. As their relationship develops, Lizzie realizes that she's not a carbon copy of her sisters; she's an individual with unique dreams and desires, and digging deeper into her background, Lizzie begins to dismantle the delicate balance of an unusual family that only science could have created.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
