Waiting on Wednesday: The Reckoning

"Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I'm on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We're hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We'll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we'd left behind and take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope." -From Amazon.com

I loved Kelley Armstrong before she started writing Young Adult, and I love her even more now. This series is by far one of my favorites and I can't wait for the third book to come out.

By the way, does anyone know if this is the final book in a trilogy, or just the third book in a series? I guess I always assumed it was just a trilogy, but now that I think about it, I'm not entirely sure if I actually read that somewhere or if my mind just came to its own conclusions.

This title will be released on April 27, 2010.

Fade Out by Rachel Caine

"Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again...

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected." -From the back

Overall: 4/5

For being such a long-winded story (and I mean that in the nicest way possible), Caine has done a fantastic job of holding readers' attention. A chronic problem with YA book series that last more than five or so books is that, you always seem to come to a point where the story just seems to keep repeating itself. Not so, with the Morganville series. She continually twists this story into directions I never would have foreseen.

Her characters are well-developed and surprisingly distinguishable from each other, each carrying their own voice loud and clear. I could see Eve being my own best friend and easily see myself falling for Shane and/or Michael, though I could do without a few certain other characters.


Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Writing: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Cover: 4/5

I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of this series, which, by the way, already has its cover out:

I can't decide if I love these covers, or if they remind me from something out of the early 90s. What do you think?

You can see where the cover designs changed between the 3rd and the 4th books. Unfortunately, I think I like the original style the best. It looks less 90s-ish. Oh well. The new design is pretty good too. Nice font, very dramatic.

Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley

"For Zaria Tourmaline, the three years without her mother and brother have been lonely ones, living with a cold and distant guardian while she completes her education. Just as she is ready to join the world of adult fairies and genies, she finds a spellbook written entirely in her mother’s hand. But this treasured object is not safe from a new enemy, a fairy with more power than Zaria ever dreamed existed. Only among the humans–who must never know fairies and genies exist–can Zaria hide the spellbook; but hidden magic, it turns out, can expose a fairy in ways she never thought possible." -from Amazon.com

Overall: 3.5/5

After the past couple years of filling my mind with O.R. Melling, Holly Black, Melissa Marr and the like, it was hard for me to get back into the idea of fairies being cute and helpful creatures with pretty wings and magic wands. Because of this, it took me a little time to get into the story.

I did, though. Get into the story, I mean. Hanley managed to take what seemed to be an over-done and cliched idea and turn it into an entirely new world that was impressively detailed. You can just tell how much time and thought was put into this story, probably before there were even words on the page.

It was cute and fun, but also dealt with a lot of very real moral dilemmas. Where's the line between doing what you've always been told is right, and doing what you personally believe is right?

It was a very enjoyable book, but clearly meant for someone more in their pre-teen/middle school years. I would highly recommend it to any tweens out there.

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Writing: 3/5

Ending: 3/5

Cover: 2/5

*Shadow* fascination

I, as much as anyone, understand the lure of a dark and mysterious title that hints at danger and intrigue, especially when dealing with a YA paranormal book. But this is starting to get a little ridiculous:

Shadowland by Alyson Noel

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

Shadow of the Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Shadow Mirror by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Shadow by Jenny Moss

Anyone else seeing a pattern here?

Waiting on Wednesday: Radiant Shadows

"Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death.

Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?"

YUM!

Fire By Kristin Cashore

"Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells.

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story." -From GoodReads.com

Overall: 5/5

My expectations for this book weren't particularly high. I wasn't overly impressed with Cashore's first book, Graceling, and expected this one to be much the same. But excitement about it's release among other respected YA bloggers caught on, and I found myself with this book in my hands.

And I'm so glad I did. I loved this book! It was fun, fast-paced, and highly entertaining. The characters stole my breath away and I'm simply stunned with the completely original and interesting world that Cashore has managed to create within these pages. I stayed up way late into the night reading this one.

The only complaint that I have about this book is that the plot seemed almost too busy at points. There were a couple different key villains with different motives and intentions, and sometimes it was a struggle to keep them straight.

Still, it was an excellently told story that has completely renewed my faith in Kristin Cashore. I look forward to her next one.

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Writing: 4/5

Ending: 5/5

Cover: 4/5

Going Bovine By Libba Bray

"When Cameron, a high-school slacker, finds out he has fatal mad cow disease, he sets out on an epic quest to find a cure and maybe save the world, too. Accompanied by his friends -- Gonzo, a dwarf, and Balder, a Viking god disguised as a long-suffering yard gnome (don't ask) -- Cameron faces an increasingly bizarre series of misadventures involving a punk angel, New Orleans jazz musicians, and snow globes in this very postmodern retelling of Don Quixote."

Overall: 5/5

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but the first time I heard about this book, I thought it was a joke. I had read an interview that a favorite book-blog did with Libbab Bray and one of the questions was "What's coming next?" (This was just after the release of the third and final book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy).

This was her answer:

"My next book is called GOING BOVINE. It's an absurdist, dark comedy about Cameron, a sixteen-year-old guy with mad cow disease, who goes on a road trip with his friend, Gonzo, a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf, and a talking yard gnome named Balder who wants to be a Viking hero. They are sometimes joined by a punk rock angel named Dulcie who has a propensity for spray-painting her wings and a love of microwave popcorn. You know, the usual."

Can you blame me for thinking it was just a really cool way of saying "I have no idea"? I mean, honestly, who writes books like that?

Libba Bray, apparently.

Because that is exactly what this book is about. And it was the best freakin' book I've read all year. From the first couple paragraphs on the first page, this book is laugh-out (very) -loud funny. The whole thing is downright hilarious. Libba Bray has a way of writing that turns even the most mundane of moments into something amazing.

But apart from just being funny, it's moving. I almost cried twice while reading this book. I never cry at books or movies or anything like that. But this almost did it.

One of the key symptoms of mad cow disease is hallucination, so there's always the question of how much of the story is real, and how much is just Cameron's mind in its last struggle for control. I got so caught up in Cameron's adventures and the beautiful writing, and of trying to connect all the dots in the story.

Another thing about this book that was a first: The average book that I read takes between three days to a week, depending on the length of the book and how busy my schedule is. This one took me almost two full weeks to read. Not because it was slow and I just couldn't keep myself awake, but because it was such an intense story that I could only read it bits at a time.

I realize that at this point I'm probably just rambling, but I can't say enough good things about this book.

If you haven't read it, you need to. Put it at the top of your to-read pile. You won't regret it.