[Review] Outpost by Ann Aguirre

Outpost
Razorland #2
Ann Aguirre
September 4th, 2012
Feiwel & Friends

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Deuce’s whole world has changed.
Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn't fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.
To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.
Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

This book picks up a few weeks after the first book lets off. Duece and Co. have made it, via nice trader to a town called Salvation. Despite surviving in the wilderness with the Freaks, Duece is no longer considered an adult and must fight for her place despite an overwhelming opposition. The town believes that women have a place and that place is the kitchen.

The book was way slower than the last. Most of it was spent in Salvation, or right outside of Salvation. Sure, the mutants became smarter and that was a little interesting, but the attacks were few and far between and none were overly devastating or exciting. It picks up around the last hundred pages. There is a chase, an intense discovery and a siege. Until that point, the book just plods along.

Duece's romantic options are somewhat limited and stunted. She's not really looking for that sort of thing, despite what Stalker and Fade want. All the attempts at romance are somewhat dull and lacking any sort of passion.

The next book has been set up to contain a lot of action. Hopefully it will live up to the promise.

[ARC Review] In The After by Demitria Lunetta

In The After
Demitria Lunetta
June 25th, 2013
Harperteen

Arc Provided by Book Junkee's giveaway. Thank you!

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In what seems like an instant, Amy Harris's life is changed forever. They arrive and quickly begin killing off humanity one by one. No one knows how they got here—and even worse, no one knows how to stop Them.

Marooned in a high-security house, Amy manages to stay alive—and even rescues "Baby," a toddler she finds in an abandoned supermarket. For years they escape death, forging a bond as strong as sisters, until they are finally rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living on a former government research compound.

On the surface, New Hope is the happy ending Amy was looking for. She's even started falling for Rice, a handsome researcher she's become close with at the facility. But then she makes a shocking discovery. And staying in New Hope could mean losing her freedom . . . or her life.

I loved In The After, it was scary, twisted, and full of action. As I have said before, I love a good post-apocalyptic novel and In The After does not disappoint. In the world of In The After there is the time before the aliens landed on Earth and started eating people. The After is just trying to survive in a world full of monsters, both human and alien. Amy is a teen girl of only fourteen when the world as knows it ends. She was home alone, her mom away on business and her dad at the farmer's market. They never came home. Amy is forced to take care of herself or get eaten by THEM. She hen finds Baby, a toddler and takes her in. For three years they survive and live in the After. Until helping a stranger ends with betrayal.

I loved this book, it moved fast. It was so creepy. The human and alien monsters were scary enough to give me nightmares. For real, no joke, this book scared me. I love all things scary so that just made me love this book even more. I loved how the book was broken into parts because the first part is scary. Once Amy and Baby are "saved" and taken to New Hope, a settlement filled with people living like there aren't any monsters. That is when the twists come one right after another. Amy discovers who the monsters really are and just how far they will go to protect their secrets. Even though I had a suspicion what the SHOCKING secret was. the book's ending s still very good and open for more. I give In The After five laser pistols and will be looking forward to reading more Dementria Lunetta books in the future.

[Joint ARC review] Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

 Another Little PieceKate Karyus Quinn
June 11th, 2013
Harperteen

Arc Provided by Book Junkee's giveaway. Thank you!

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The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.

 First words that ran through my mind after finishing Another Little Piece: poetic, haunting and riveting.  Most of the reviews I saw from people that didn't like the book was that the book was confusing.  I felt that the book was not that confusing.  It was a story of a girl searching for something and making bad choices.  I felt that it was kind of a horrifying version of Ground Hog day meet Pinocchio.  Anna, the main character, had to live out the lives of other girls over and over searching for something that made her real.  Instead she was destroying their lives the way her life had been taken and destroyed.  Doomed to repeat this process over and over until she was willing to sacrifice herself for love.  Even though the story was very horrific and terrifying it stuck with me days after reading.  This book is also about love and redemption and I think that is what stuck with me.  I routed for Anna even though she is kind the anti-heroine.  For me this was one of those books I could not put down and then was like what did I just read, I really liked this book even if the subject matter was questionable.  This book asked questions like what you do to live forever and how far would you go to escape the life you were never meant to live.  I give Another Little Piece four very solid laser and highly recommend this book.

 Let me preface this review with this, there are some things left unanswered by this book. Who is the Physician, really? What role do his bruja sister's take? Why do they do what they do? This lack of understanding didn't really take away from the book, at least for me. The story had a narrow focus on just Anna and I respected that. Sometimes the overarching storyline doesn't need to be there for engrossing storytelling.

The book was written well, lacking the clunk I've come to expect from YA novels. Everything is a mystery up until the end, but the disjointed discovery of who Anna was and who she could become was as much an experience for me as it was for her.

This book is pretty gross. There's cannibalism, rape, pedophilia and that's just scratching the surface. Within the first fifty pages someone has one of the most real descriptions of sex I've seen in literature thus far and follows that up with some murder and khaleesi style heart eating. Trigger warnings abound. Still, the prose moves through this all artfully, smoothing the edges.

My love for this book has grown over the past few days. It was unique and interesting, blending the different elements together fluidly and creating something that will ultimately set the bar for the things that come after. I can't wait to see what this author can come up with next and I hope it lives up to the precedent.

[Audiobook review] The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

The Dark Unwinding
Sharon Cameron
September 1, 2012
Scholastic Press


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When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.

Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.

As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it. With twists and turns at every corner, this heart-racing adventure will captivate readers with its intrigue, thrills, and romance.

This book was described as mysterious, spooky, and steampunk. If the only thing you are basing steampunk on is clockwork and steam powered machines then I guess it has a steampunk element. For me this book this book is more of a spooky gaslight mystery like Turn of the Screw. Someone is trying to make Kathrine think she is crazy.

Kathrine is sent to her creepy uncle's estate to determine if he should be sent to the asylum. Her wretched aunt thinks he is squandering the money. When she gets there she discovers that her uncle's estate is actually a small township and sending him away could destroy the lives of more than just her uncle. Kathrine starts seeing things, sleepwalking, and even biting herself. All things that make Kathrine think she is going insane.

I liked this book, it was creepy and there were parts that spooked me. I thought the mystery was well executed because I never saw it coming. That being, there were parts that were boring and it waseasy to put the audiobook down and walkaway. I loved the ending when they give the aunt what for. I was intrigued by the world Kathrine lives in, and I will be checking out the next book. I am interested to find out what happened to Kathrine's friend and possible love interest and why he left. I give The Dark Unwinding three laser pistols for being held in a stable orbit.

[Review] One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey

One Heart to Win
Johanna Lindsey
June 11, 2013
Gallery Books


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Some young ladies marry for money and social standing, a few lucky ones marry for love, but Tiffany Warren is marrying to end a feud. Honoring her mother’s wishes, Tiffany reluctantly travels west to meet her estranged father and his enemy’s eldest son, rancher Hunter Callahan. Once the Warrens and the Callahans are united by marriage, both clans will stop squabbling over a disputed strip of land. But in the chaos of a train robbery Tiffany seizes a golden opportunity: By assuming the identity of her father’s new housekeeper she can live with the father she never knew and assess his true character, as well as that of the neighboring cowboy to whom she is betrothed. But, too late, Tiffany discovers that the rivalry between the Warrens and the Callahans has escalated when the Callahans steal the Warrens’ “housekeeper” as soon as she steps off the train!

Now Tiffany, masquerading as Jennifer Fleming, finds herself living in the enemy camp, under the same roof as her fiancé. All too soon she learns her intended is a handsome, sweet-talking charmer whom she has to fight off because he can’t keep his eyes—or his hands—off Jennifer. After Tiffany’s charade is exposed, she refuses to marry Hunter, not even to end the hostilities between the families. How can she wed a man who is in love with another woman? As Hunter goes about claiming his rightful bride-to-be, he knows that although he loves two women— proper, elegant Tiffany as well as spunky, passionate Jennifer—he has only one heart to win.

I love Johanna Lindsey books but she is kind of hit or miss. One Heart to Win was one that for me was just eh. I thought the story was kind of cheesy. The story moved fast but at the same time felt a little rush.

The story follows Tiffany who is being sent to Montana to marry a man she has never met. Marrying this man will end a feud between her family and the neighbors. She agrees to go meet him. Then somehow gets mistaken for the housekeeper. She doesn't correct the family of the man she is supposed to marry. This way she can get to know Hunter under the guise of Jennifer. They fall in love, the only problem is if Hunter will still love her when he finds out she is Tiffany, the stranger he has been betrothed to since birth.

Like I said I liked the book but didn't love it. It was a quick read and I finished it in one night. I don't think I will reread this one over and over. I can't explain, but it felt like something was missing. Maybe because there was too much going on with feuding, blackmail, and falling in love. When the scene between Jennifer and Hunter finally happened it felt anticlimactic and I was asking myself, "That was it?" I am a sucker for happy endings and true love conquering all, and that is what kept me going to the end. In conclusion I give this book three laser pistols, not bad but there are better Johanna Lindsey novels.

[Arc Review] The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

 The TestingThe Testing #1
Joelle Charbonneau
June 4th, 2013
Houghton Miffin Books for Children
336 pages

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 Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

I hate comparing anything to the Hunger Games, but this book holds a lot of the same elements, and scantrons. While no one is starving, there is a contest with mortal consequences in order to attend university. There is also a faction bent on usurping the one in place. Though, what role they play in everything has yet to be seen.

The character is supposed to be smart, but when the writing style is so inside someone's head, I always feel like the character is thinking for hours instead of probably the few seconds they really are. I had this problem with the Sword of Truth series, and I have it with this one. There is a thing as too introspective.

The two possible love interests are both deplorable in different ways. Not that the Cia technically remembers, as they wiped her memory. They're both liars and murderers. There is really not a good team to be on.

The book is very cookie cutter dystopian. Something I've been seeing a lot of lately. I'm still curious to see where the second book goes. There is a chance that it could surprise me.

P.S. Is there a map? My version didn't have one. I could totally have used one.

[Reveiw] Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits
Katie McGarry
July 31, 2012
Harlequin Teen


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So wrong for each other…and yet so right. No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can PUSH THE LIMITS and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her HOW TO LOVE AGAIN.

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I really really liked Pushing the Limits.  I cried then I smiled and then I was smiling through my tears as I listened to this book.  It was so good that I would come home from work ready for more so I would pick up where the audio book left and read it as well.  I devoured this book and had it finished in a matter of days.

 

Pushing the Limits is about a troubled girl named Echo and a self-proclaimed bad boy named Noah.  The story is about two people who have been dealt some real crummy hands and learning that is okay to move on and let go of the past.  Noah’s parents died in a house leaving him and his two little brothers to foster care.  Noah doesn’t see the good side of foster only the bad and so vows when he turns eighteen he will get custody of his little brothers, so they never have to go through what he went through.  Echo’s brother died in Afghanistan and her mother did something so terrible to Echo that she can’t even remember.  In this story about pain and loss these two teens are able to come together and learn to forgive and let go so they can heal together.

 

I must say this story was powerful and so moving.  I know I have said it before but there is something so magical about seeing two people find redemption through love.  I felt like I knew Echo and Noah by the end of the story and I was routing for their happy ending.  There was one scene I don’t want to give away too much but it involved Noah growing up.  I balled like a baby right there with Noah.  I was at work listening to the book and I know my coworkers had to be like what is wrong with this girl.  To me that is sign of an amazing book when your emotions you feel for the characters as a reader leave the book world and invade your life.  For me, Pushing the Limits will be a book I carry around with me in my thoughts for a long time to come.  Read or listen to Pushing the Limits you will not be disappointed.  I give this book four very solid laser pistols.

[Review] The Great Secret by L. Ron Hubbard

The Great Secret
L. Ron Hubbard
September 8, 2008
Galaxy Press
122 pages

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Fanner Marston was raised a slave as a child, became a petty street thief as a teen, and now masters his own craft and crew as a grown man. He's also gone completely mad. Driven by privation, with a vicious greed and slavering lust for power, Marston alone of forty men has survived the perilous trek through a blistering desert to the magical city of Parva, where legend says a secret awaits which will give him absolute control over the Universe. However, Marston finds the key to all power is not at all what he expected. . .

This book was an interesting find. The people at Galaxy Press are re-releasing classic L. Ron Hubbard pulp fiction tales with classic art and the feel of the old pulp fiction magazines. This book is a collection of four short stories, each independent and standing on their own.

Despite these tales being over sixty years old, I found myself pulled into each tale and found myself rooting for the characters as they faced their challenges and trials. The tales included in this volume are The Great Secret, Space Can, The Beast, and The Slaver. In each tale, men face off against the unknown and face down their challenges with the determination and uncertainty you find in these old stories.

In The Great Secret a single man is faced with the punishing elements on an alien world to find the great secret of a lost civilization.

Space Can brings a small destroyer face to face with a superior enemy, but don't count the smaller vessel out until the end, especially when the chips are down.

The Beast faces a great white hunter against a thinking beast on Venus that is terrorizing the locals.

A last but not least, The Slaver shows that villains should never let their guard down.

I won't give away anymore of the secrets of these tales, I'll leave that to the readers.

As I read these tales of daring I came to a conclusion. Despite the age of these tales, they still have meaning and are a great read even today. I gladly give this book a solid four laser pistols. This book, like so many of the tales from that age, is really out of this world.

[Arc Review] Undead by Kirsty McKay

UndeadUndead #1
Kirsty McKay
September 1st, 2012
Chicken House
272 pages

Arc Provided by Little Blogger Big Ambitions run by Cuddlebuggery Book Blog. Thank you!Amazon/Book Depository/B&N
 

 Out of sight, out of their minds: It's a school-trip splatter fest and completely not cool when the other kids in her class go all braindead on new girl Bobby.

The day of the ski trip, when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant, everyone gets off and heads in for lunch. Everyone, that is, except Bobby, the new girl, who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty.

Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby and Smitty start to flirt. Start to stress. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back.

But they've changed. And not in a good way. Straight up, they're zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round and round freakin' fast, because that's the only thing keeping Bobby and Smitty from becoming their classmates' next meal. It's kill or be killed in these hunger games, heads are gonna roll, and homework is most definitely gonna be late.

"It's Speed meets The Shining meets Shaun of the Dead meets The Breakfast Club, and, if you'll permit me a Briticism, it's a bloody scary, bloody funny romp!" - Barry Cunningham, publisher

This is what I was promised. What I got was a cliched lump of writing that was fun to read but overall didn't strike me as special.  The elements mentioned include a bus, a creepy mansion, some zombies and a rag tag group of school children. Sure, on the base level it could be compared to those, but not really. I also didn't find it very funny. Perhaps my humor is more mature, or I expect more amusing anecdotes from British schoolchildren. It didn't deliver.

If I could compare it to anything, I'd compare it to The Faculty. High school kids reacting appropriately to a supernatural presence and getting high or in this case, drunk, in the process. They make stupid decisions, they actually act scared. No one is really a hero.

With a zombie outbreak to deal with, crazed hipster scientists, a zombie toddler, and one of those plot twists you can see coming from four miles away, this book was pretty straight forward. Nothing really set it apart. Even the horror movie cliffhanger felt overused and unengaged.

[Arc Review] Nefertiti's Heart by A.W. Exley

 Nefertiti's HeartA.W. Exley
February 14th, 2013
Curiosity Quills Press
280 pages

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Cara Devon has always suffered curiosity and impetuousness, but tangling with a serial killer might cure that. Permanently. London, 1861. Impoverished noble Cara has a simple mission after the strange death of her father - sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when aristocratic beauties start dying of broken hearts, an eight inch long brass key hammered through their chests. A killer hunts amongst the nobility, searching for a regal beauty and an ancient Egyptian relic rumored to hold the key to immortality. Her Majesty's Enforcers are in pursuit of the murderer and they see a connection between the gruesome deaths and Cara. So does she, somewhere in London her father hid Nefertiti's Heart, a fist sized diamond with strange mechanical workings. Adding further complication to her life, notorious crime lord, Viscount Nathaniel Lyons is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on Cara and the priceless artifact. If only she could figure out his motive. Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she makes a fatal mistake.

Steampunk is always refreshing to read. There is so much people can do with it if they want to. Most of the time it is very hit or miss. This one was well entrenched in the middle. It was neither here nor there.

There is so much packed into one book. There are murders to solve, murderer's to avoid, priceless artifacts to recover, a romance to bloom, society standards to shun, and odd jobs to accomplish. For the page count, it seemed like the book was jam packed with things to do every turn. In fact, what ever happened to that woman's wedding ring they were hired to find?

The heroine is broken, flighty. She trusts no one and distractingly slides down bannisters. Her love interest isn't the standard Prince Charming, but he woos her despite her lack of trust and her history of sexual abuse.

The mystery and the love story twine together nicely, culminate well. It's really the small loose ends that bothered me. With everything tied up in a nice, neat bow, having a loose thread is irksome.

[Review] Priests of Mars by Graham McNeill

Priests of Mars
Warhammer 40,000 series
Graham McNeill
July 31, 2013
Black LIbrary
320 pages

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Legend tells of a foolhardy expedition, led by the radical Magos Telok, which ventured out into the unknown space beyond the Halo Worlds in search of the ‘Breath of the Gods’ – an arcane device with the power to unmake and reshape the very stars themselves. Thousands of years later, the ambitious Lexell Kotov musters his Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleet and sets out to follow in mad old Telok’s footsteps. With the might of the Imperial Guard and the Space Marines to augment his own forces, he searches for the hidden clues which will lead him to greatest power that the galaxy has ever known. But who knows what ancient perils may yet lie outside the Imperium and the dominion of mankind?

Being a longtime fan of the Warhammer 40,000 universe and its series of games I picked this book up with high expectations, and I have to admit I was not disappointed. Graham McNeill has brought many diverse groups from the Imperium of Man together for a deadly voyage into the unknown.

While the title indicates the Techpriests of Mars might be the focus of the tale, that isn't true. Graham has spun a tale that includes the lowest of the low in the lower crew decks, through the waves of Imperial Guard from Cadia, the intrigue of a Rogue Trader, the colossal might of the Titan Legions, and not forgetting the awe inspiring Space Marines of the Black Templars. Even with all these diverse tales going on, it's amazing how they all blend together into a seamless story focused on a common goal.

Along the way their one of a kind vessel, the Speranza, an Ark Mechanicus that dwarfs even the largest of vessels in the galaxy, unlocks some mysteries of the depths of space before they and the vast fleet that accompanies them even reach their goal of the Halo Worlds.

Now I won't give you the spoilers of what secrets they discover or exactly what challenges they face, but all the parties involved face the rigors of spaceflight and travel through that immaterial realm known as the Warp.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat as I followed the hidden mysteries as members of the lower deck crew discover a long lost secret within the Ark Mechanicus, an alien ship stalks the expedition and targets the Space Marines for special attention, and even the Imperial Guard can teach the famed Skitarii, the augmented warriors of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

This novel truly eared it's five laser pistols, it shines like a nova in the darkness and I eagerly await a sequel. There is much yet to come in the tales of this vast expedition.

[Audiobook Review} A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper

A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses 
Book 3 The Hollows series
Molly Harper
May 28th, 2013
Pocket Books


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Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Her supernatural task? To unearth four artifacts hidden by her grandfather before a rival magical family beats her to it.

Complication One: The artifacts are lost somewhere in vampire Jane Jameson’s occult bookshop. Complication Two: Her new neighbor Jed Trudeau keeps turning up half-naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn’t need. And teaming up with a real-life Adonis is as dangerous as it sounds, especially since Jed’s got the face of an angel and the abs of a washboard. Can Nola complete her mission before falling completely under his spell?

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Molly Harper and read or listen to anything she writes. Her latest book doesn't disappoint. I really liked it. A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses is the second book in her spinoff series The Hollows. I liked that this book is told from Nola's point of view, a witch that comes to The Hollows looking for artifacts that can save her family. These artifacts were given to a grandfather she never knew about until her grandmother was on her deathbed.

If you love the world of The Hollows as much as I do then I know you will like A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses. This book has all the cast of the Jane Jamison series plus a few new ones. I enjoyed getting to see Jane through the eyes of a character. Of course, true to the style of a Molly Harper book, the book is full of zany characters and wacky laugh out loud moments. I think that is why I love Molly Harper's writing style, because she never fails to make me laugh out loud. There is one part I was listening to that had me snickering in my office at work, and my coworkers were like, "We want to know what you are listening to." I love Amanda Ronconi and her narration. I did have to get used to the Grey Gardens style of speech she used to narrate this book. I know the character called for it, but it did throw me off though not enough to make me stop listening.

In conclusion, if you like snarky heroines and happy endings, pick up this book and give it a try. You will laugh at all the zany moments and cheer at the end. I give A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses four solid laser pistols because it was out of this world good.

[Review + Giveaway] Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and StormThe Grisha #2
Leigh Bardugo
June 4th, 2013
Henry Holt and Co.
435 pages

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 Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

I've been eagerly anticipating this book for a few months now. I decided to get aboard the Grisha train a little late, so the wait wasn't as excruciating for me as it must have been for those who read the book as it was immediately published.

I'm so glad it exists now. It was everything I could have hoped for. The story jumped straight into the action. Even when it let up, it didn't for too long. There was always some new discovery or bit of drama to keep the story interesting and the characters moving.

There are some new characters and I fell in love with every one of them. The new love interest has all the wit, sarcasm, charm, personability and ingenuity of Tony Stark. He's also deliciously royal. While I don't know yet how genuine he is, I approve fully with his addition. The brother and sister duo introduced kick all of the butt and are just sassy enough to love.

The romance has gotten out of control. Alina clearly has varying degrees of feelings for all the men involved as well as outside factors that interfere. Can she trust them? What do they really want to be with her for? Will they just try to murder her in her sleep? The important questions. Sturmhond is my new favorite, despite his obvious ulterior motives. Mal is a chain that has always weighed Alina down, and he continues to be flighty and run off with whatever available lady parts are thrown his way. The Darkling wasn't as prominent in this book. He creeps around like Slenderman, lurking around corners and doorways. His new powers are frightening, disgusting. Things he's done to influential, friendly characters are terribly visceral.

Alina is afloat on a river of circumstance. She's got to deal with the hand given her, but she really doesn't know how to do that correctly. There are plenty of missteps along the way, as she's not perfect in any sense.

It lives up to the first book, surpasses it. I cannot wait for the next installment. I will have to find a fawn jello mold to celebrate.

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[Animorphs Reread] The Capture by K.A. Applegate

 The CaptureAnimorphs #6
K.A. Applegate
February 1997
Scholastic Paperbacks

Amazon

 It was really bad when Jake found out his older brother was one of them. It was even worse when Tobias stayed in his morph too long. But nothing compares to the horror the Animorphs are about to face. Nothing.
Jake and the other Animorphs have a feeling they know where the Yeerks' new base is located. And they've found out how to get in - how many people will really notice a few flies on the wall? But they never figured that they might get caught. Or that Jake could fall into the Yeerk pool. That Jake could become a human-Controller. A Yeerk. The enemy.

I'm stupid behind on this as well. I will have to figure out what book I'm supposed to be on and catch up accordingly. Onwards with the Animorphs snark.

This book was from Jake's point of view. The Yeerks have set up at a local hospital where patients that check in, check out with an infestation. An influential governor is set to go under the knife for a quiet and unpublicized surgery. The governor will soon be running for President. And so, the Animorphs must stop the infestation.

They morph flies in order to be able to do this, and all pretty much goes to plan. They infiltrate the hosptial without people freaking out too much. They find the mini Yeerk pool and destroy it. Unfortunately, Jake slips and falls into the pool and gets infested in the process.

That part was pretty far in the book. I remember when I was first reading it that it seemed to be right away, and most of the rest of the book was devoted to getting Jake out of that predicament. I guess, in all honesty, that the next couple of chapters are just really boring.

They have to tie Jake up, keep him in a shack in the woods for three days in order for the Yeerk to die. The Yeerk just happens to be the one that was infesting Jake's brother. What a small invasion force. The Yeerk pontificates at Jake for awhile, tries to escape, fails, dies. Jake is back to normal.

I liked this book initially, but it was another one that didn't stand the test of time or my changing sensibilities. What I found exciting as a tween ended up being quite boring in the long run.

[Review] Memory of the After (Level 2) by Lenore Appelhans

 The Memory of the After/Level 2The Memory Chronicles #1
Lenore Appelhans
January 15th, 2013
Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers
281 pages

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

 In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning.

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.

Don't let the title fool you, they're the same book, I'm unsure of why it has two titles? I read it as The Memory of the After, but it was originally Level 2, and has since changed back to Level 2. Super confusing.

This book started out with a very interesting view of the afterlife. Those in purgatory would replay their lives back in a series of interactive Youtube type clips. Other people could tap into and view any memories shared in the public database. It has a few elements of The Matrix as well, but giving specifics would give the whole story away.

Unfortunately, with the unique setup, the need to escape was inevitable. The love triangle was also inevitable. Somehow, the book managed to derail into monotony. It took it's wonderful sci-fi elements and degraded into an almost contemporary piece, forgetting the dangers lurking in the world above.

The plot's escalation and conclusion ended up detached and hurried. Pieces were brushed over for the sake of the contemporary romance details. It didn't hold as much of a wallop as I would have hoped for. It all felt rushed and I ended up not enjoying it as much as I would have liked.

All in all, having pieces of a contemporary romance mixed in with a supernatural thriller are okay, but everything needs to be fleshed out. Don't sacrifice one in order to write the other.

[Review] The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade ItselfThe First Law #1
Joe Abercrombie
2007
Gollancz
517 pages

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

 Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.

Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he's about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glotka a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood. Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.

Generally, when I read straight up Epic Fantasy, I read it out loud to my husband. This means that most books in this genre take a few months to get through, depending on how much time we spend in the car, or how much he wants me to read to him. So, I can spend months entrenched in a fantasy world and with books like Scott Lynch's and Patrick Rothfuss's, its often hard to find anything that lives up to their precedents.

That being said, Joe Abercrombie is not doing a bad job. The book was a little slow moving, and I'm not entirely sure where it was going. It seemed like the entire book was a set up for characterization as the characters are now either on a great quest or fighting wars.

The characters are as different and varied as you can expect. There is a crotchety torturer with a deep and scarred past, a puffed up Gaston like character, a crazy northern berserker, a wizard trope, and a sundry of other characters.

Even though the book didn't feel like it went anywhere, it was still interesting. The concept is sound and it looks to be gearing up for something both intense and tragic.