Weekly Round-Up 4/29

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading Because It is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin and listening to Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, read by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind.

Last week I reviewed The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #1)

Description from Goodreads:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

So this is a strange book, but strange in a good kind of way. Strange in the kind of way where I wish there was more. It has a dreamlike quality that works for it, the same quality that Linger and Shiver had. It must be Stiefvater's style. It was written so beautifully and it was hard when it was over. And I liked all the characters even Ronan who tries so hard to be unlikeable. There is something about Gansey's character that he just leaps off the page and I developed a little crush even though that is not something I normally do with fictional characters. Blue is pretty crush-worthy too. She is just a wonderful, strong, fearless girl and she is a great addition to the dynamic of the boys.

There is a lot of mystery going on this book between the ley lines and a boy who was murdered and Adam's home life and Blue's true love. There is a lot of set-up too since this is apparently going to be a quartet of books. But it doesn't feel incomplete like so many first books do. Instead it brilliantly shows the world that Blue and the Raven Boys live in and solves a few mysteries and sets up a few more and includes plenty of other-worldliness and danger in it too.

Weekly Round-Up 4/22

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater and listening to Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, read by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind.

I reviewed Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier last week.

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (Ruby Red #2)

Description from Goodreads:
Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

Despite my general unease about middle books, I loved this book. OK, so it ended on another cliffhanger and it was generally used to provide information, but I love Gwen so much that I am willing to let that go. Plus the writing is compelling enough to make up for it. My only regret is that the third book doesn't come out until October. 

I love that Gwen is so willing to stick up for herself. And I love that she is a normal girl too. I would be so confused by Gideon's signals. One minute is can't get enough of her and then the next he acts like he can't stand her. He is a weird guy. And I know some of that has to do with the nature of time travel and that some of their future actions happen in the past and that they don't know why they do the things they do in the future. But still, he can't just give her the benefit of the doubt. 

And as to Gwen's secrets, I have a guess about her parentage (Lucy and Paul) but I have no idea about her ability to talk to ghosts and demons. Some don't seem surprised and most don't believe her. I do wonder how this will play out for her and what it has to do with being the Ruby.

Ruby Red Trilogy
Ruby Red

Weekly Round-Up 4/15

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier and listening to Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare, read by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind.

Last week I reviewed A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison and The Diviners by Libba Brady, read by January LaVoy.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Audio read by Ed Westwick and Heather Lind

(Infernal Devices #2) 

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen (Bright Young Things #2)

For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys' lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan's bustling metropolis. But Letty's not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams--no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey's legacy . . . and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia's half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights--and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

The Diviners by Libba Bray (audio)

I swear Libba Bray gets better with each book that she writes. The Diviners is a brilliant book. It not only has a mystery written in but it deftly sets up the next book but not in a frustrating way.  There are a lot of elements and characters but the main focus is Evie O'Neill and the Pinnacle Killer. After Evie makes a mistake in her hometown her parents send her to Manhattan to live with her uncle Will, the curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult (AKA "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies") and his assistant Jericho. There she revels in the New York City life. But when someone is killed in a particularly gruesome fashion and the body left with occult symbols, Will is pulled into the case by the police and Evie cannot help herself and gets involved as well.

It's easy to see the vast amount of research that Bray must have put into this book. From the slang to locale to the speakeasies, she covers one of my favorite historical time periods, the 1920s. And then she adds a creepy murder/ghost story to the mix and everything is jake. I will have the little song the murderer sings as he gets to work haunting me for a long time. That's not a good thing but it shows how expertly these details are woven into the story.

Evie is a brat for a good portion of this book. She is very self-centered and comes off as uncaring about other people's feelings. While it was nice to have a strong female character, one is less of an asshole to everyone else would be nice. But it gives Evie room to grow. I love the romance that develops as it happens naturally but I wonder if a love triangle is planned because while Evie develops feelings for one boy, I developed feelings for another. I'm curious to see how it plays out. 

The other characters who are minor in this book are interesting as well. I expect that they will become more major as the series plays out. Memphis Campbell and Theta Knight are my favorites. They both have such sad back stories. I can't wait to find out what happens to them next especially given that so much of their characters haven't been fully explored. There is actually a lot that needs to be explained. But it didn't feel unfinished like so many cliffhangers do. It just feels like there is so much more to learn.

18 hours

Read by January LaVoy who does a great job voicing all the characters though her Will and Jericho don't deviate too much from each other. And she only seems to have one child voice. But she still does a great job of acting out the story and I liked her reading of it.

"Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones."

A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison (Misadventures of Tullalah Casey #2)

Tallulah is back at Dother Hall, home to the arts academy she attended in the last book. Tullalah is happy to be reunited with her friends, The Tree Sisters, and the boys at Wolfe Hall. But she is confused about snogging and Charlie and most of all about the town bad boy, Cain.

Truly Tallulah is Georgia Nicholson's successor as she should be, being cousins and all. She is so confused by the Snogging Scale that Georgia and her Ace Gang made up and does nose licking even rate on the scale? She is afraid she is no good at kissing and is too tall and gangly for the boys. But Tallulah is a charming girl and very quirky and so all the boys love her. Much like Georgia no matter how weird Tallulah is, they still want to snog her.

There is a lot of slang and I wonder if British girls are really like this. I mean, I can see a lot of myself in Tallulah at that age, wondering if boys like me. It's pretty obvious to me who likes her but she really only sees her flaws. There is a lot of crazy stuff that happens and the way Tallulah talks is different but funny. And ooh er, there is one really terrific kissing scene that had me melting just like Tallulah.

Misadventures of Tullalah Casey
Withering Tights

Weekly Round-Up 4/8

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison and listening to The Diviners by Libba Brady, read by January LaVoy.

Last week I finished Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter.

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter (Heist Society #3)

When Hale's grandmother dies and leaves him the family business, he is stunned as is his family. But something is not quite right with her will and Kat is asked by Marcus, the butler, to look into it. Soon Kat and her crew are in deep as they go up against someone who has it in for the Hale family. But by taking on this task, will it mean Kat will lose her Hale?

This has to be one of my favorite series. I guess I just like a good heist story. Though this book features less of a heist story and more of a long con. Love it. It's also amazing that we still don't know Hale's first name despite this being a book about him and his family. Instead we get his family nickname which is ridiculous.

Perfect Scoundrels deals a lot with grief and the loss of a loved one. It also deals with the evolving nature of families and how no one lives forever. It also moves along Kat and Hale's relationship which felt very real. I enjoyed watching Kat and her crew work and she is one of the most brilliant thieves in the business even if she is only 15. I forgot she is only 15 actually. She and her friends just seem much older.

Heist Society
Heist Socity
Uncommon Criminals

Weekly Round-Up 4/1

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter and listening to The Diviners by Libba Brady, read by January LaVoy.

Last week I finished Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.