Waiting on Wednesday - 34

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to get excited about upcoming books.

You Against Me by Jenny Downham

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another. (from GoodReads)



This book has already been published in the UK, but since it hasn't been released in the US, it still qualifies for "Waiting On" Wednesday. I'm a sucker for these type of star-crossed lover books and I think this one could be really thought-provoking and emotional. Look for it in stores on September 13, 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday - 33

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to get excited about upcoming books.

Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien

In the thrilling follow up to Birthmarked, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone has fled
from the Enclave and now must fight for her baby sister’s survival in the matriarchal society of Sylum.

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, 16-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole? (from Goodreads)

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Birthmarked so I can't wait to see what happens to Gaia next! Look for Prized in stores on November 8, 2011.

Shadowspell by Jenna Black

Summary:

After it's discovered that Dana is a Faeriewalker, one who can bring magic into the human world and human technology into the Faerie world, she is the target of both assasins and abductors. Her father, an important Fae politician, keeps her under lock and key, and she can't go anywhere without a bodyguard. Naturally, however, Dana still manages to get into trouble, which culminates when she meets the Erlking and his Huntsmen. The Erlking, whose pleasure in life is to hunt mortals and Faeries, wants Dana's powers and will do anything to get them. Will Dana be able to outwit the Erlking or will she just be another pawn in this game of politics and court intrigue?

Review:

I was so excited to get my hands on Shadowspell because I absolutely adored its predecessor, Glimmerglass. I'm not a big fan of fantasy, and I even didn't like Glimmerglass in the beginning, but I changed my mind very quickly. This series is really good and I hope it's longer than a trilogy.

This is the third book I've read in a row that deals with faeries. It's really funny because I haven't read a lot of Faerie books but it's fun to see the similarities and differences nonetheless. I think I like the Faeriewalker Books better than the Wicked Lovely series but that's just my preferance.

I love Dana as the main character. She is very well-written, including her actions, her thoughts and her dialogue. She's sarcastic like any teenager but really wants to save the day and take control of her own life. Even though she is mostly human in that she can't do magic, she is still a very strong and courageous character.

Dana is hilarious because she is the one who would get into a heap of trouble and has a 24 hour a day bodyguard. A lot of the mayhem involves a new character, the Erlking. I really liked the parts with him because he is evil but actually seems pretty nice sometimes. It is an interesting dichotomy. Dana has to promise him something ... interesting, and we'll just leave it at that.

A book isn't complete without some romance, and our leading lady has two good choices. There's the obvious one, Ethan, because they are sort of together but not. And then there's Keane, who is teaching Dana self-defense. The author makes it apparent that he kind of likes Dana, but she is woefully unaware of his feelings which should be fun in the future. And I honestly don't know who I like better. So we'll see what happens in the next book, Sirensong.

All in all, I really enjoyed Shadowspell and I think all fans of fantasy will agree. I'm also excited to see what happens to Dana in the next book, Sirensong.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

FTC: reviewed through Flaminget Review Program.

2010/St. Martin's Griffin/295 pages.

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Summary:

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to a eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes - not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils...

Melissa Marr continues her tales of Faerie in a dark, ravishing story of temptation and consequences, and of heroism when least expected. (from book jacket)

Review:

Before I read the description of Ink Exchange, all I knew about it was that it was the sequel to Wicked Lovely. I did not know that the book would not be from Aislinn's point of view, but rather her friend Leslie's. Unlike Aislinn at the beginning of Wicked Lovely, Leslie knows nothing about faeries, and is introduced in a rather unfortunate way.

I missed reading about Aislinn firsthand because I wanted to see what it was like for her to be Summer Queen, but luckily for us she is still a character in the book. And I really enjoyed reading from Leslie's perspective (some of the other characters get narration time, but I think Leslie is the main character), because she was also a very strong person. She had gone through some horrible things, but still managed to survive and continue on with her life. With this, it is totally understandable that Leslie would want a tattoo to symbolize her new outlook on life, something that would change her for the better. The way Melissa Marr used the tattoo to tie Leslie to Irial, king of the Dark Court, was pretty awesome. It was unexpected and very creative.

The other characters who get to narrate some of Ink Exchange are Irial (who I just mentioned) and Niall, one of Keenan's, the Summer King, advisors. Once Leslie gets the tattoo both guys are drawn to Leslie, one for good reasons and one for bad. They both want her and it's kind of like a competition to see who gets her. Leslie ends up having feelings for both, but that's because their faery natures cause this to happen. So I didn't really like the romance because it never felt real to me. I don't know if it was because of the way it was written or if it was because I knew the whole time that Leslie was being influenced to feel a certain way. Suffice to say, the romance was not my favorite part of Ink Exchange.

I really liked how Ink Exchange ended and I definitely enjoyed seeing Leslie overcome the challenges and still remain a strong and courageous character. I think there's more books after this one in the series, so I will have to check them out to see what happens next.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

FTC: won in a contest.

2008/Harper Teen/325 pages.

Book vs. Movie: Gone With the Wind

I just finished the amazingly long Gone With the Wind movie. The book is over 1000 pages long so it's fitting that the movie would almost be four hours long. Luckily for me, the movie was very engaging and enjoyable and the time just flew by.

I guess we should just get this out there: the book was definitely better than the movie and I would recommend that over watching the movie. But the movie won several Oscars and was nominated for a heap more and I definitely agree that the movie deserved them. It was well acted, well written, and great adaptation from the book. Oh, and it was also filmed in 1939.

Please don't be turned off by the fact that the move is 70 years old. It's in color so that's a plus and there's not much that makes it seem old. It is funny to see how conservative it is compared to today's movies. There's no cursing, and the writers had to get special permission to use the word "damn" in the famous line "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Even the book is more risque. There's a character in the book who is a prostitute, and she's in the movie but it's never said what her job is so you really have no idea unless you're very observant. But that wasn't such a big deal.

You would think that with a 4 hour movie not much would be cut out - but there was. I didn't mind too much because there's a lot of filler stuff in Gone With the Wind, and movie managed to hit all the important points in a timely manner. I also thought all the actors did a really good job and were well-cast. Clark Gable is just how I imagined Rhett Butler and the same goes for Vivien Leigh as Scarlett.

Both the movie and book forms of Gone With the Wind are American classics and I would whole-heartedly recommend both. They are both very enjoyable to read and watch.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Summary:

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. When the rules that have kept Aislinn safe from them stop working, everything is suddenly on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first century faery tale. (from back cover)

Review:

Faery books are a popular subgenre of fantasy, but I haven't read too many of this type, so they are still new and exciting to me. Wicked Lovely was a nice addition to the genre, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

The summary is very vague, but I loved the plot of Wicked Lovely. Aislinn has seen faeries her whole life and it's a skill that she keeps hidden for a very good reason. Faeries don't like it when humans can see them, so Aislinn has always kept her distance. But when two start following her around and Aislinn discovers why, her view on the faery world changes.

Aislinn was probably my favorite character in the novel. She was really brave and strong, and once she knew what the faeries wanted, she decides to negotiate with them. Gotta love a girl who knows what she wants. Her best-friend-turned-something-more, Seth, was also an integral part of Wicked Lovely. I loved reading the relationship between the two of them because he is such a sweetheart and didn't even flinch when Aislinn tells him she can see faeries.

There's a lot of court intrigue and powerful monarchs in Wicked Lovely, which I really enjoyed reading about. Hand me a book about kings and queens and their subjects and I'll be content. The pacing was good, the detailing was good and I have to say that Wicked Lovely was a pretty solid book. If you like fantasy, or specifically, faeries, you should put this on your to read list.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
FTC: won in a contest.

2007/Harper Teen/328 pages.

Waiting on Wednesday - 33

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine for bloggers and readers to get excited about upcoming books.

The Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

A move to Ireland is about to introduce Megan to her destiny, her real destiny, can she embrace it and will she survive it? A tragedy in Megan’s past set her on a predetermined course. A chain of events has been set in motion that brings Megan to Kinsale, a small town in the south of Ireland where her destiny awaits her. Her life starts to fall into place as she makes new friends and settles into her new school. However, the reclusive and distant Adam DeRís calls to her body and soul. She finds herself increasingly drawn to Adam and his strange family. Adam knows a secret from her past and he and his family hold the key to her future. A future that binds her to Adam and his world, a world of power, mystery and ancient orders. A world that unbeknownst to her, she very much belongs in. (from GoodReads)

Besides this sounding like a really good book with a beautiful cover, it also has a character with the same name as me and I'm Irish! It's perfect! (And, ironically, Megan is actually not an Irish name, it's Welsh). The Carrier of the Mark will be published on September 13, 2011.