The Iron King Review

Synopsis: Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

My Thoughts:
Wow! I’m glad I got to read this book last week. I had paper after paper and exam after exam but The Iron King allowed me to take short breaks and be a part of another world. It’s just the first book in the series and it is already one of my favorite faerie books, alongside the Wicked Lovely series. I loved all of the main characters. Meghan was refreshing, she seemed more realistic instead of just being a regular girl who doesn’t just pine for a boy, but lets the guy treat her like dirt and still falls in love with them after ten seconds without knowing anything about the boy, or at least how the guy feels about them.

Ash is a deadly prince after my heart. It’s true that he says something in regards to having to kill Meghan for his court a couple of times in the book (it sounds weird defending this) but the strange thing about it is that he isn’t being mean or purposely cruel, he’s just being brutally honest. It was nice to see different sides of him throughout the book, though I must say that both sides had loads of charm.

After taking a Shakespeare class, I was excited to see that Puck was in the book along with King Oberon and Queen Titania (although I still picture them as the actors of the movie with Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett). He was the jokester throughout the book but you could see glimpses of a more “sober” side that I’m anxious to see more of in The Iron Daughter (yay!). I even liked Ethan, Meghan’s little brother who acts older than his age and left me impressed with his personality even though he wasn’t in a lot of the book. Last but not least, I loved Grimalkin!! With similar qualities found in the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, it’s no wonder I fell in love with this laid back sarcastic cat (and I know he cares for Meghan, despite how he acts). I also liked the plot of the book and how our world effects what happens in the faerie world with our imagination and beliefs (or unbelief and lack of imagination). This is a great book that everyone should partake in and enjoy…. So go get it!….. It’s kind of late so you might want to pick it up tomorrow... :)

First Thoughts - Sisters Red

Synopsis: Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris -- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing

Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

First Thoughts: I love when there is an book that takes an idea from a classic story and expounds on it, or just says what if this happened instead of what was written in the original book. Either way, I'm excited for this books and am happy that it won't be too long before it is released (June 7, 2010).

It also helps that a lot of YA authors seem to like this book (like Melissa Marr & Carrie Ryan).

For an excerpt of the book click here

Pre-Order from Amazon

Find it at an Indie bookstore near you

Book Battle

40 books were nominated but it was narrowed down to 24 for the final nomination list. Follow the eliminations and see what the "last book standing" will be on The Shady Glade blog.

What are you reading on Mondays?,

This meme is by J. Kaye

Book(s) read this past week:

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Currently Reading:

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Upcoming Reads:

Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden

She Thief by Daniel Finn

In My Mailbox 23

This meme is by TheStorySiren

As soon as I found out that my bookstore (near campus) FINALLY had The Iron King, I immediatley got it. When I got there, I found the other two books in paperback. I'd been wanting to read Twenty Boy Summer & The Summer I Turned Pretty for a long time but I wanted to wait for the paperback, especially since I had plenty of books to fill up the time waiting for the release of the paperback (I just really don't like hardcover version of books).

Fallen Review

Synopsis: There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce-- and goes out of his way to make that very clear -- she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret... even if it kills her.

My Thoughts: I am having a pretty hard time expressing how I feel about this book. It was intriguing and suspenseful, yet it didn't feel like any answers were given. I went from curious to confused to lost when dealing with parts of the plot, which is not to say that I didn't like anything about it. I loved Penn, and Cam appeared to be caring and adorable when I first started reading. It's was interesting to see how surprising Cam could be, even at the very end of the book in the epilogue. Arriane who is one of Luce's friends was a little too much for me in the beginning, but she turned out to be a funny and lovable character. One thing I didn't like was that I couldn't get a good feel for who Daniel really was, and I was tired of Luce pining after him without any (deep) thought to how he was treating her in a major portion of the book. I was also lost in understanding the connection between Luce & Daniel, and "the bigger problem". In books like these, there is always a small problem (not small as in insignificant) between the lovers of the book and then a bigger problem keeping them busy and helping them avoid the personal problem between each other. It is clear that there is a bigger problem but I don't quite understand how their relationship affects this problem. Although I'm still lost, I'm also still seeking answers. I like enough of the story, or the potential of where the story could end up to really want to read Torment and find out more about these characters and what their world is about.

Tribute to a series

I wanted to highlight the Wicked Lovely series in honor of the release of the 4th book in the series, Radiant Shadows. I haven't read the 4th book yet but I wanted to do this before I did.

I love this series!! I don't want to do this like a review so I'll just give you some examples of why I love this series (without any spoilers of course).

Highlights:

1. Well... Seth is very sexy... and caring... but also hot... Did I mention this list isn't in order. I don't want you to think that I'm "fictitiously shallow", only reading books for hot guys. :)

2. Ash is confident in herself. I'm not saying she's never unsure of herself, but she is never scared to fight and stand for what she believes in. I think she's a good model (most times) in how to not be a pushover.

3. I have a love/hate relationship with Keenan, but a lot of good stories have a character that you love sometimes and hate at other times.

4. Donia is smart and loving (and bitter at times) but she has an edge. She's tired of being abused by CERTAIN people (mainly one) and it's nice to see how she handles it through out the series.

5. Nial is dark and mysterious, what's not to love. There is much more to him than meets the eye. He is one of my favorite characters and I love to watch him grow.

6. The story is so intricate, everything is connected to something else in the series. It's amazing to see how the author spins her fictional web. Each book lets you in a little more into the world of faeries.

What are you reading on Mondays?

This meme is by J. Kaye

Book(s) read this week:
Fallen by Lauren Kate

Currently Reading:
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Possible Upcoming Reads:
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Solitary: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

In My Mailbox 22

This meme is by TheStorySiren

I finally got the 1st book in the Dark series Dark Prince (yay)! I also got a copy of Radiant Shadows (how awesome is that) !!!!

The Unwritten Rule Review

Synopsis:Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

My Thoughts: I’d never read an Elizabeth Scott book before so I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought this book was adorable. Not adorable as in nothing bad happened and everything was all lollipops and cotton candy. When I say adorable, I mean that Sarah, Sarah’s parents, and Ryan were adorable (sometimes). The story was told from Sarah’s view which was evident because at times (many times) it was selflessly bias. There is a type of unwritten rule that says you can’t like your friend’s boyfriend, and if you do like him you can’t do anything about it but Sarah was going overboard! It was as if she could see no wrong in her best friend (there were a lot of wrongs TRUST me) and couldn’t see anything good about herself. When Brianna insulted her, (sometimes unknowingly) Sarah would find a way to “pretend” that Briana was just trying to look out for her or that she really didn’t mean it. In the beginning Brianna would say a things to Sarah that would make me pause and look at the book in a mean way like “no she didn’t” (eye rollin and everything). As the book continued, it became clear with every passing page whether or not Briana was trying to be helpful but being unknowingly mean or just plain mean. As far as Ryan, he was such a cute and beautiful nerd (not like a nerd nerd) who only got on my nerves because he was with Briana instead of Sarah. It was nice to see Sarah grow stronger as time went on and show how love “cast out all fears” (in the end). I was rooting for them from the very beginning and I’m rooting for them now (in a fictional sense).

Things that make this book special (to me):

Sarah’s parents: They appeared in small scenes throughout the whole book but were good reminders of supportive parents (and people in general) and a functional home.

Kissing scenes: The kissing scenes were hot. Not as in hot hot , but as in “I love this guy” or “I love this girl” type kissing.

Flashbacks: They made me understand why Ryan was with Briana instead of Sarah at first and showed the different quirks that made it obvious why Ryan and Sarah belonged together. They also showed some better sides of Briana (in a way).

Messages: I like that there were deeper meanings in the book like being confident and learning how to stand up for yourself.

Update
I’ve decided to stop rating books. I don’t like my current rating system or really anybody else’s (so far), so until I find one I like, I’m not rating anything.

Book Teaser - The Unwritten Rule

Teaser: “So, you ready to pay attention to me now?” she says, and kissed him. I stare at my history book and then open it. I’m not on the right page, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not looking at it. I’m trying not to think about Brianna and Ryan kissing.

What are you reading on Mondays?

This meme is by J. Kaye

Book(s) read this week:
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Currently reading:
Fallen by Lauren Kate

Possible upcoming reads:
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Solitary: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

Crescendo Cover!!

I like it, it has the same feel as Hush, Hush.

Synopsis: Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can’t figure out if it’s for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father’s death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn’t answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

In My Mailbox 21

I only got one book for review this week but I have plenty of books to catch up on, so I'm not mad lol.

Book Updates

Ok. So far these are the books I've read in the past few weeks:

I heart you, you haunt me by Lisa Schroeder
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

I'm currently reading:
Fallen by Lauren Kate

Up next is:
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Suitte Scarlett Review

Synopsis: You might think that since Scarlett lives in a huge hotel, called the Hopewell, in New York City, her family must be loaded. Wrong. Although they may own and run a hotel, they are suffering from financial difficulties and now have no staff. Now that Scarlett has turned fifteen, it is her job to look after the Empire Suite, even though it doesn't get many visitors.
However, a surprise comes in the form of Mrs. Amberson. Mrs. Amberson, a peculiar woman with a highly distinct personality, rents the Empire Suite for the entire summer, and is quick to seek a kind of friendship/work partnership with Scarlett. Scarlett, for her part, is bewildered by many of Mrs. Amberson's actions, but goes along with her crazy schemes nonetheless.
Meanwhile, Scarlett's brother Spencer is currently involved in a production of Hamlet. Scarlett becomes interested in one of his fellow actors, Eric. As the summer progresses, problems arise with all three: the play, Spencer, and Eric. Mrs. Amberson is only too happy to step in and lend a hand to help out... but for better or for worse?

My Thoughts: First off, after reading this I felt bad for putting it off so long. It wasn't that I didn't want to read it, it just took so long to get around to reading it because I got the wrong idea about the book when I read the summary. When I first read the synopsis I was thinking, "Is this it? A broke down hotel with a teenager who looks after a suite that no one stays in?" So when my interpretation of Suite Scarlett went up against John Green books or Catching Fire, it obviously lost.... for many many months. It wasn't until I started watching youtube clips with Maureen Johnson that I found out how sarcastically funny she is, which led me to push Suite Scarlett to the top of my TBR list. Turns out I like the plot of this book after all. It was actually pretty funny (and partly sad) watching Scarlett and her family try to keep a hotel going while not having any staff to help them. I liked all the characters, especially Mrs. Amberson, mostly because at times, she seems to have ADD which I can relate to (mostly during classes or something else important). Maureen Johnson's humor runs all through this book, which made it very enjoyable. Also, I was really glad to see a romantic relationship that didn't go quite the way I expected. Overall there weren't too many quirks I can remember at this time so I'm giving this book an A.

Reasons it wasn't higher:
Umm. I don't really know. Have you ever liked something but you couldn't rate it as one of the VERY best (as in out of 100 it scored a 98 but you can't explain the missing 2 points) just... because? Horrible explanation but my reasoning is unexplainable (obviously)...

In My Mailbox 20

Well.. I only got one book this week and it wasn't the one I wanted. This is the 12th book in the Dark series but I was looking for the first one. So in buying the wrong book, I have now combined a pet peeve with my blog. I hate when I'm trying to find the first book in a series and none of the 20,000 books in the series indicate which book it is.

I'm Sorry

Like the picture? I thought it expressed my feelings concerning not updating my blog in such a long time. I've been busy and the longer I stayed away from my blog, the harder it was to get back to it. I will have an update with IMM, what I've been reading, and a review for Suite Scarlett sometime today.