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January 29, 2012

F2F Book Club


Today’s book club meeting was a smash!  It’s been a couple of months since we had such a boisterous crowd.  The book talk turned into personal talk which turned into awesome girl talk!!! Not to mention our peek into the male psyche.  That was fun.  Most of us needed to remain open minded to be able to process the new information, but I think it was a success! 

We have agreed to conquer Graceling by Kristen Cashore for next month.  Book 2, Fire is already published, so I am sure we will be including “Fire” by Kristen Cashore into next months meeting as well.  I hear Graceling is a mix between “Twilight” and “Hunger Games”, do I hear an “ah-ma-zing!

Happy reads everyone!

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson Review


What a beginning! I got caught up in the book immediately. 
Elisa’s adventure is about to begin, and part of the joy of The Girl of Fire and Thorns is how she triumphs, despite the hardships and challenges she faces: everything from kidnapping to sand storms, from war to death. I loved Elisa, loved how she transformed herself into a person of action.

At its heart, The Girl of Fire and Thorns is about a girl becoming a woman because she realizes her actions have consequences, that life is more than sitting back waiting for things to happen, and that she has choices.  But along with every choice there is a consequence.  I have to add without giving anything away, I loved the romantic elements in this book.

Overall, I would say this is an epic fantasy adventure with a smart, strong and unconventional heroine that made for an interesting and exciting read that kept my interest throughout. There are surprises and the fact that anything can happen to these characters kept me on my toes. I also liked the message behind the story. This is the first book of a trilogy, but the book has a satisfying conclusion on it’s own while leaving Elisa’s path open to new opportunities. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Crown of Embers, due out in October 2012.

January 16, 2012

Book Spot Lights - January


Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman


When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London pavement, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternative reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.




Switched by Amanda Hocking


When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.



The Iron Fey Series:


The Iron King Julie Kagawa


Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.



The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa


Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.



The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa


I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.



The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa


Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

January 14, 2012

Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge


I received an invitation from Book Chick City to participate in their Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge this year.  I participated in GoodReads reading challenge last year, 2011, and did quite well I think with 58 books.  I had a whole mixture of fantasy, fiction, literature, non-fiction and a couple of biographies.  Horror is one genre I have not yet attempted, mostly because I don’t want to sleep with the light on or freak out at every noise.  But I think it’s time to take the plunge into Horror.  I have committed to 24 books in this challenge.  I hope I get through this unscathed.  I have a link on the sidebar for those who would like to take the challenge or follow my progress throughout the year.