*I received this book as an eARC from Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review*
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Title: Greta and the Goblin King
Author: Chloe Jacobs
Year Published: 2012
Synopsis: While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse.
To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape.
But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back...
Why?: A strong heroine, a dark, mysterious, attractive goblin king, mystery, fantasy, and magic? Count me in! This book has been on my TBR shelf for a while, and it sounds like it has all the makings to be really fantastic. I haven't read a YA Fantasy in a few months, so I'm really looking forward to reading this one.
Expectations: I expect a pretty epic story, with magic, romance, danger, mystery, and adventure. I've heard so many good things about this book, I'm really expecting quite a lot from it. I hope it delivers!
Judging a book by its cover: I actually really like this cover. The moon and the guy in the trench coat (who I assume is Isaac), are kind of reminiscent of werewolves... But I guess since everyone in the world transforms into something dark with the eclipse it's ok. I would probably pick this book up off a shelf though, so props for that!
--Ashley
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The Girl of Fire and Thorns REVIEW
The Shadow Cats novella REVIEW
The Crown of Embers PRE-READING
Title: The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2)
Author: Rae Carson
Year Published: 2012
Review: This is one of the best fantasy YA series out there right now. Rae Carson is an excellent writer. Elisa is a heroine that truly grows as a character. All her actions and the lessons she learsn are done so fluently. Carson writes relationships so well. They are very realistic, having a gradual build. It always irks me when a heroine falls for the only guy in the book or there is insta-love.
There is a large cast of characters in this novel and none are sidelined. each character has just enough backstory and characteristics to make them all unique and memorable. Many of the characters I loved from the first book return and some of my favorite characters in the series so far were introduced in this book. Hector was one of my favorite characters. He is an awesome guard.
I like when same-sex relationships are casually placed in YA novels. Carson did an excellent job with that. My gaydar went off and I was excited when it was revealed. Another good series that does this is Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
The first half of this story took place in the city, then Elisa goes on an adventure! There's even a boat. I always like fantasy stories on the high seas.
The godstones and religion in this series are very interesting. It is a monotheistic religion with magic. There aren't many other stories out there like it. The history and details of the godstones and magic are revealed in a nice and slow way that kept me on the edge of my seat while reading.
Rae Carson is one of my favorite authors of YA right now! She is up there with Jodi Meadows, Marissa Meyer, Leigh Bardugo,and Beth Revis! I am really excited for the third book and can't wait for Carson's next series. I hear it has to do with magic in the Gold Rush!
I give this novel a 5/5!
-PAUL
My Pre-Reading
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This book really surprised me. I mean, I figured it would pick up right after The Gathering left off, and I figured Maya would really have to start using her Skin Walker powers. But I didn't expect it to be such a thrill ride, or for it to be so fast-paced.
I really enjoyed how quickly this book moved along. There was enough detail to know what was going on, but it wasn't so much that you get lost in unimportant things. The kids are running for their lives, and reading this book kind of felt like you were running right along with them. And the fact that it only takes place over a couple of days really helps, I think. There are no jumps in time, and there aren't any gaps that need explaining. Some questions from The Gathering are answered, but there are more questions raised that I assume will be answered in the next book, so things never really get very dull.
The characters are all really nicely developed throughout the course of the book as well. None of the minor characters are there without a reason, and each one of them helps Maya to come to terms with her powers and herself. I also really enjoy how nobody just makes a decision and everyone agrees with it. Someone always has a counterargument, and they discuss every plan and take a vote. The kids act as equals instead of just blindly following one or two people. You also get to learn more about each person and what makes them do the things they do, and why their families have been asked to live in Salmon Creek. Plus, there are a few new characters introduced, and they do not disappoint either.
I do wish we could have seen more of Rafe, but I guess that would have removed one of the major conflicts. So I guess it worked out alright. He's grown on me though, and I really hope we get to see more of him in the next installment. And Annie too. They're the only characters that have been around since the beginning that I really don't feel like I know very much about.
Overall, I think I enjoyed The Calling more than I enjoyed The Gathering. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has read The Gathering, and I would recommend the series to anyone who is interested in supernatural YA books, especially ones that are set in this world. Plus, if you like a little bit of mystery and romance, you would probably enjoy these books. 3/5 to this one, but I'm excited to find out how Maya's story ends!
--Ashley
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Ashley's CROSSED Review
Title: Reached (Matched #3)
Author: Ally Condie
Year Published: 2012
Synopsis: After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.
Why?: Matched was one of the first in the big Dystopia trend in YA back in 2010, coming out a few months after Mockingjay. I enjoyed the feel of Matched. It had more romance than the Hunger Games trilogy. Crossed was less urban, following Cassia and Ky through the wild. Reached has Cassia back in Society, undercover.
Expectations: Both Matched and Crossed felt like lead up novels so I am expecting an epic ending. I hope there is some recap in the beginning of this book. I read Crossed over a year ago. I expect the romance will come to a final conclusion. I'm hoping to see Cassia kick some butt as a strong young heroine.
Judging a book by its cover: I love the covers in this trilogy! They are so clean, colorful, and sybolic. Cassia is trapped in the bubble, she cracks it, and now she is free.
-PAUL
It is 2013! The Apocalyptic assumptions turned out to be false and the Mayans are back to being mentioned mainly in Social Studies classes and National Geographic specials. It has been almost a month since my last post! I am very sorry, guys. I do have a few posts to catch up on, but my December was very slow in the reading department. It took me a month to finish the last 5% of a book, and the book was even pretty good.
I work as an endangered species observer all up and down the East Coast and the Gulf of the US. I work not only odd hours, but odd days, weeks, and months. I have been off work for almost two months and oddly enough when I have more free time I apparently accomplish less.
If you follow me on Twitter you may know that I participated in Nanowrimo this year. In the last day of November, I won! I finished my goal of 50,000 words in one month. Now I just have a word document with a lot of letters. I am now going to start going through those letters and words to see what exactly I wrote.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying getting back into the schedule of things. I will be catching up on old posts this week. I also have a large stack of books to read as well as a kindle and Adobe Digital Editions full of things to read.
According to Goodreads I read 55 books in 2012. My reading goal for 2013 is to read 60 books!
I am also making a goal to really dig deep into that Nanowrimo word document.
What are your reading (or writing) goals this year? If you had 2012 goals, did you accomplish them?
-PAUL
*I received an eARC of this book from Scholastic on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
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Title: The Dead and Buried
Author: Kim Harrington
Year Published: 2013
Synopsis: A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.
Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?
Why?: I always enjoy a good ghost book, and this one sounds really interesting! Plus, there are so many mysteries - What happened to this ghost girl? Why is she haunting the house? What are the secrets Jade's new friends are hiding?
Expectations: I expect for nothing to be as it seems, especially with so many people having secrets. I'm also expecting a little bit of a Nancy Drew type mystery, where Jade has to follow a set of clues to find out "who did it." With the addition of an actual ghost, of course. I am kind of expecting this to be a very "book fair" book though - short and sweet and pretty much to the point.
Judging a book by its cover: I'm kind of torn on this cover. While I think it fits with the whole ghost thing, since it looks like there's a dead girl on the front, I'm not sure that I would pick it up off of a shelf if I saw it in a store or library. There's really not much that jumps off the cover at me and catches my attention.
--Ashley
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Title: The Kill Order
Author: James Dashner
Year Published: 2012
Synopsis: Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive
Why?: I read the Maze Runner trilogy and really enjoyed it, so I figured I should probably read the prequel as well! I'm looking forward to finding what life was like before the Maze!
Expectations: I expect that this book will explain more of Thomas and Teresa's back story, without necessarily directly involving them. Maybe Mark and Trina are the original people who created WICKED? WICKED has always been a mystery, and I hope that this book will shed some more light on the organization!
Judging a book by its cover: The cover is mostly oranges and yellows, but the bright colors definitely caught my eye when I saw the cover on Amazon. If I were in a book store or a library, I would probably pick it up. At closer glance, it looks like there are fireballs destroying a village, so I think it's pretty appropriate for a book about how the sun flares decimated Earth.
--Ashley
