Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier (Ruby Red #3)

Picking up where Sapphire Blue left, Gwyneth is heartbroken after her last encounter with the Count. And when Gideon doesn't deny anything the Count said, she is determined to move on and not be a sad sack. But the Circle is moving closer to being closed and it is becoming apparent that the Count may not have the best intentions when it does. It's up Gwyneth and her best friend Leslie to figure out what will happen when the Circle is closed and put an end to the Count's plans.

Upfront let me just say that normally the insta-love thing bothers me. But somehow with Gwen and Gideon it doesn't. That may be because of the time travel thing. It feels like they've spend a lot of time together even though it's only been a few weeks. Still (spoiler) I feel like deciding to spend an eternity together is a bold choice from two teenagers that really just met. So I wasn't feeling that part of the ending too much. I also felt like it wrapped up pretty easily and that the shocking revelation wasn't as shocking as it was suppose to be. Usually it is a little more difficult than that. The really shocking thing was Gwen's parentage but then I guessed that in book two and I don't think it was really that much of a secret anyway. At least not to the reader.

Overall, I loved the book and the series. Gwen is the best sort of heroine, bold and feisty and not willing to be a doormat. Gideon turned out alright in the end and Leslie is truly the best friend in the world. I'm glad of how it all turned out and the ending was just right.

#1 Ruby Red
#2 Sapphire Blue

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (His Fair Assassin #2) (audio)

When Sybella is sent back to the most hellish place on earth, her father's home, by the convent of St. Mortain in order to protect the Duchess and the country of Brittany, she must endure the torment of her family for her country and her god. But a mission to rescue one of the country's heroes brings her closer to the truth of her own feelings about her family and herself.  

Sybella is one of the supporting characters in Grave Mercy and not one that was really explored so it was interesting to hear more of her story. I was surprised at the direction her story took but then it made sense in the context of the first book too. Sybella has a lot of dark secrets and the book manages to draw them out without making it unbearable. She manages to grow as a character too without losing any of her vigor or righteousness. I liked her relationship with Beast and thought the Beauty and the Beast connection was kind of cute though this isn't fairy tale related at all. It's just a glance in that direction. They really compliment each other and Beast is a terrific character that I wish got a little more page time. But really, at the heart of this book, it is about Sybella and her family and the ties that bind even when they should break.

His Fair Assassin
Grave Mercy #1

Angela Goethals is the narrator and I liked her voice and her reading. She does a good job of bringing Sybella to life. My only problem with the audiobook is one I had with Grave Mercy and that is the odd lag during the track changes. It's not very smooth and disjoints the scenes sometimes with odd pauses. 

13 hours, 30 minutes.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (audio)

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

I didn't realize this was a historical novel set in 15th century Brittany, a place I didn't know a lot about so I learned something new. Isamae is an interesting character. Very much abusive by her "father" and eventually sold off into marriage by him to what would have been an abusive husband, she is rescued from that situation and brought to the convent of St. Mortain as the saint is her true father. There she learns about all the ways to kill a person and becomes an expert at poisons. Finally she is sent out on her first mission to kill a traitor of Brittany, someone who is marked by Mortain. In the course of her mission, she meets Duval, the bastad son of the former Duke of Brittany though she doesn't realize it at first. Isamae and Duval do not like or trust each other at first and so it's nice to see their relationship grow in an organic manner.

There is a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering in this book as befits this time period. And learning more about court life and assassins is always interesting. While the romance part was nice, it is the court life that makes this book so interesting. And the character growth in Isamae is refreshing.

Provided by SYNC

Erin Moon is the narrator and I enjoyed her reading. Her French pronunciations are excellent and she moved the story along just fine.

14 hours, 15 minutes

The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #3) (audio)

When Miss Penelope Lumley and the children go on a bird watching trip, they are surprised to find an ostrich on the grounds of Ashton Place. This mystery is soon cleared up by the arrival of the Widow Ashton, mother of Lord Ashton, and her companion, Admiral Faucet, the owner of said ostrich. But bigger mysteries are afoot at Ashton Place and Miss Lumley is determined to figure them out and keep the children safe too.

I really enjoy these books. Miss Lumley is so awesome and I forget she is actually only 15 years old.  She does such a wonderful job with the Incorrigibles. And I feel like there is one really big mystery to solve but so far we've only gotten little pieces. Like why is Miss Lumley's hair the same color as the children? And where are her parents? And what isn't her old headmistress telling her? Plus there are further mysteries introduced in this book especially involving Lord Ashton's father. I hope the next book starts bringing them together.

Katherine Kellgren is the narrator and as always does an excellent job. I love her willingness to howl and bark and otherwise just bring the whole story to vivid life.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #3) (audio)

Tessa and Jem are still engaged to be married and Will is still in love with Tessa but puts his feelings aside for his parabatai. But as Mortmain begins his final assualt against the Shadowhunters, he still needs one thing to complete his plan, Tessa. Will and Jem as well as the rest of the London Institute try to protect her and find Mortmain, but they find opposition from the least likely place.

I enjoyed this last installment of The Infernal Devices series. Though it felt like the the Mortmain plot was plot B and the love triangle was plot A. It never really felt like there was a danger from Mortmain but I did like how that plot point was resolved. And overall how the love triangle was solved too. It was nice to see so much growth in these characters from Clockwork Angel to Clockwork Princess. I think I will be moving on to the Mortal Instruments series sometime soon.

Daniel Sharman is the narrator and I enjoyed his performance. He was a really good reader for this book and I liked him better than the narrator for the last Infernal Devices book. 
16 hours, 15 minutes

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #2)

The search for the Magister is becoming more desperate as Bendick Lightwood seeks to take the Institute from Charlotte. The Branwells are given two weeks to find the Magister. Meanwhile, Will finds that he cannot get over his love for Tessa and Tessa finds her feelings for Jem are growing even as she can't help loving Will.

I couldn't remember the first book, Clockwork Angel, so when I looked at my review for it I wasn't surprised to find I hadn't been impressed. But still I didn't hate it, just felt neutral on it so I decided to go ahead and continue on with the series. I liked this one. It was really good and I think the narration helped with that. So maybe this is one of those series that works better for me on audio than reading it. It's happened before.

In this one we find out Will's secret, the reason he pushes Tessa Gray (and everyone one else) away. It's a valid reason but I must say the resolution of it was a bit of a disappointment and it came about really easily. I guess having a warlock for a "friend" comes in handy. A large portion of this book is devoted to the love triangle between Will, Tess, and Jem. I think Jem is pretty unaware that he is involved in a love triangle. It gets a little too angsty for my taste though it does have some pretty awesome kissing scenes.

The other plot is trying to find Mortmain and dealing with his minions. Less time is devoted to this. Consequently I don't feel like Mortmain is much of a threat. Probably because I already have assumed the ending. The love story is the real driving force in this series.

Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl) and Heather Lind narrated this story. Lind does the majority of the narration with Westwick always reading the quotations and the beginning of the chapters. I'm not sure where the division came in. I guess Lind read most of the Tess parts and, if the story focused more on Will, Westwick read that bit. It worked out. I enjoyed both their readings. Lind seems to have a better time with voices although Westwick's American voice is really good (it would have to be after all the time on Gossip Girl) he doesn't do girl voices quite right. So it was a nice mixture if a little odd.

15.5 hours

The Infernal Devices
Clockwork Angel

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

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."

Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis (audio) (Oxford Time Travel #3 & #4)

I decided to review both of these together since it basically one long book. They blend together seamlessly and you really can't read All Clear without having read Blackout. It would be confusing. I'm not sure what went into the decision to publish them separately but if you decide to read or listen to them make sure you have All Clear on hand to immediately begin reading after you finish Blackout.

It's Oxford 2060 and three historians are planning on traveling to World War II, each to observe something different. For her first assignment, Merope assumes the name Eileen O'Reilly and is sent to observe some 1940 London evacuees at a country manor house. Polly Churchill arrives in 1940 as well to observe the beginning of the London Blitz. And Michael Davies, who had been prepping to travel to Pearl Habor, has his assignments switch resulting in him going to 1940 to observe the Battle of Dunkirk. Each makes to their assignment and everything starts going wrong quickly after. None can get their drops to reopen and each is afraid that they have somehow started to change history, something that was previously thought impossible.

Blackout follows each historian as they transgress through World War II. They all have the same basic storyline. They arrive at their locations with Polly and Michael having some degree of "slippage," that is not arriving at the temporal location that was set up for them. Things go wrong for all of them at some point and then they discover that they cannot get back to their own time. The book ends with them trying to make their way to each other to hopefully use another's drop.

(SPOILERS) All Clear picks up where Blackout left off. The historians have found each other and try to work out where another historian is to hopefully find a way home that way. Each hopes for a retrieval team from Oxford and they begin leaving clues for Oxford 2060 in local newspapers, hoping for a rescue. They begin to think they are trapped in World War II because they have made horrible alterations to history. But none of them piece together the truth till much later.

If I have any criticisms it's that each book went on a tad too long. Especially the section where Micheal, Polly, and Eileen worry over the retrieval team. That part goes on too long. I also hated how Polly treated Eileen, like she was stupid when Eileen was shown to be more than capable. I guess that came from the fact that Eileen was younger than Polly and Micheal and so a little more naive.

But overall I enjoyed the story. The ending was predictable but still surprising and a bit sad. I learned a lot about the London Blitz and World War II. Eileen was a great character and Polly was too albeit a much more frustrating one since she could never seem to tell the truth about anything that Michael and Eileen might need to know. Once all the pieces came together it was easier to see how brilliant the story was. While this is not my favorite Connie Willis Oxford Time Travel story, it was certainly a wonderful addition to the world she has already built.

Katherine Kellgren is the narrator and she is once again amazing. I can't believe that I didn't like her to the first time I heard her on The Red Pyramid. She is honestly one of the most talented narrators and when I saw she narrated these Connie Willis I was so happy. Two of my favorites! Yes, please. She does a smashing job on both of these books and is a delight to listen to.


Blackout. 18 hours, 48 minutes
All Clear. 23 hours, 46 minues

The Hidden Gallery (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #2) by Maryrose Wood (audio)

In this sequel to The Mysterious Howling, Miss Penelope Lumley and the children venture to London. There they meet a playright who Miss Lumley develops a lovely friendship with and learn that the children are under a curse. The mystery of who the children are deepens as does the mystery of who Miss Lumley might be as well.

This is a charming series. It combines some of my favorite things: historical childrens books, mysteries, and some asides. It reminds me of A Series of Unfortunate Events, maintaining the same cheeky tone without being quite so gloomy and depressing. Miss Lumley is a delight and I love how she handles the children and how much she cares for them. For example attempting to "rescue" them from the zoo by trying to ride a velocipede. I love that. She is a good girl and very curious. The mystery doesn't make any real headway, mostly the events of the book just add more questions but I am very interested to see what will happen next.

Katherine Kellgren narrates this audiobook and once again does a fine job. Her howling and all the voices she does really show how much effort she puts into acting out an audiobook and that is why she is one of my favorite narrators.

To Say Nothing of the Dog: Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis

Ned Henry is badly in need of a rest.  He's been shuttling between the 21st century and the 1940s searching for a Victorian atrocity called the bishop's bird stump.  It's part of a project to restore the famed Coventry Cathedral, destroyed in a Nazi air raid over a hundred years earlier. 

But then Verity Kindle, a fellow time traveler, inadvertently brings back something from the past.  Now Ned must jump back to the Victorian era to help Verity put things right--not only to save the project but to prevent altering history itself.  -- Goodreads

I love this book!  Seriously, I first listened to it about 10 years ago and then listened to it again a couple of years later.  When I saw it on Audible, I was ecstatic because my local library did not have it on CD.  But would it still be as good?  The answer is yes.  It starts out a little slow because I was impatient for Ned to get the Victoria era, but man the whole thing is good. I haven't read Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, a book which is referenced a lot and from which this book gets its title, but I will one of these days.  To Say Nothing of the Dog is written in a high manner house comedy style, much like a Wodehouse and has the same sensibilities as those book but with a large slice of science fiction thrown in.  Basically the whole book is about surviving the Victorians with their awful taste in furniture and the belief in seances, all while trying to save the space-time continuum.  But it never gets confusing or really all the science-y.  And the technology is a little laughable since they can travel through time but don't have cell phones.  But that has more to do with being written in 1997 when such things were not widely available and the internet wasn't what it is now.  Still I can forgive all that because the plot is so wonderful as are all the characters.  I was a little sad when it was over and I couldn't live in this world anymore.

Steven Crossley is the narrator and the voice of Ned.  He has the perfect British voice for this book and I love hearing his narration and the voices he does for the various characters.  He gets the tone and the inflection just right every time.

20 hours, 58 minutes

Whisper in My Ear

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

The time travel gene runs in Gwyneth's family and is supposedly going to affect her cousin, Charlotte.  But Gwen is the one who begins spontaneously traveling in time.  Paired up with Gideon, Gwen is introduced into the mysteries of the society who takes control of the time travels.  The two of them are sent on a simple mission that soon turns dangerous. 

I hated myself for admiring how cool she was right now.  To me, the idea of suddenly landing in the past was totally terrifying.  p.19

I love time travel and so this book was right up my alley.  The idea of a person being able to time travel on their own is pretty awesome.  Gwyneth is not expected to be the time travel in the family because of a deception on her mother's part so she is unprepared when it happens to her.  I think her reactions are pretty spot-on for having no idea what to do when she lands in a different time period.  Gwen is a pretty cool girl and I was cheering for her from the beginning.  I didn't like how most of the adults and her cousin treated her and, even though Gideon is the love interest, he rubbed me wrong at first too.  But Gwen actually has some backbone and does her best in every situation.  I was really hoping that the other two books had been translated from German into English already but the next book, Sapphire Blue, doesn't come out till the spring of next year.  Sadness.  I can't wait to read more about Gwen and Gideon and their mission and see if Gwen will finally tell everyone how she can see ghosts.  Love this book doubly since it reminded me (for some reason) of Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog, one of my favorite time travel books. 

Sent by the publisher for review
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co
Publish date: 5/10/11
ISBN: 9780805092523

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

Agnes is about to make her debut into society and she has attracted the attention of a very weatlhy and well thought of man.  But Agnes is an extremely smart girl and doesn't want to be box into any roles.  At an unwrapping party at the man's house, Agnes finds an metal jackal's head and a new adventure begins for her involving solving puzzles, spying and sneaking out, something that well brought up young ladies certainly don't do.

This was a fun book.  At first I thought it was going to paranormal for some reason, but then it ended up being a mystery which is even better!  Agnes is definitely a different sort of girl.  Not content with doing only girl appropriate things, she has learned 10 languages and is fairly genius.  But this doesn't stop her family from trying to get her settled into a nice marriage, something Agnes is not set on entirely.  Then at an unwrapping party (a party where the guests unwrapped a mummy and find treasures hidden in the cloth (yes a real mummy)), Agnes finds a metal disc with a jackal's head on it and she ends up keeping it instead of returning it.  This one action leads her into the kind of adventure that she has dreamed of.  I enjoyed the fact that Agnes was so smart and that she wants to defy convention.  I liked how her relationship with Caedmon plays out and how they are more equals than anything. 

The Egyptian mystery was also interesting, involving mummies and the Rosetta Stone as well as Napoleon as the action of this story takes place after he escapes from Elba.  I got a real sense of the time period and how people in England thought at that time as well as a really fun adventure mystery.

Provided by Simon and Schuster Galley Grab
Hogwarts: Ancient Runes

The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival: Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low

Petronella is all set for her coming out party when something horrendous happens. Her uncle swallows a beetle at tea and suddenly begins craving insects.  On top of that, a kidnapping occurs at her party.  So Petronella, a forward-thinking and boisterous girl, decides to help in the investigation and winds up saving nearly everyone.

Although James's laughter irritated me, he looked absolutely endearing, with a dark shadow of beard just beginning to appear.  I longed to stroke his cheek to feel its roughness even as I longed to punch him in the jaw for being so obstructive and medieval.  p. 132

Funny and charming.  Those are the two words that come to mind when I think about trying to describe this book.  I loved the Wodehouse style writing with the jokes and the very proper way Petronella has of speaking.  This had the air of a mystery along with a comedy of manners and I thought it was an entertaining little book.

Petronella is a spunky, smart and determined heroine and she takes it upon herself to protect her uncle's secret and rescued the kidnapped from her party.  Partly to do what is right and partly because she cannot stop herself and partly because she is very clever.  She is a 1930's British Nancy Drew in a way.  I liked her best friend, Jane, and Jane's brother (who is also Petronella's secret crush) James is very cute.  Although I do hope he wisens up or he is going to lose the fabulous Petronella.

I checked the author's website for the next book and was sad to learn that, although it has been written, it hasn't found a publisher yet.  I hope that it does soon because I would love to read more of Petronella's adventures.

Hogwarts: Charms
Take a Chance

Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace

Neither Betsy nor Tacy would have pointed that out.  Tib was always pointing such things out.  But Betsy and Tacy liked her just the same.  p.6

Betsy, Tacy and Tib are eight years old and beginning to explore even more of their neighborhood.  This book is more like a series of stories rather than one long plot.  The girls are growing older so the stories have more to do with them "keeping house" for their mothers or forming their own club to get back at their older sisters for having a club of their own.  Betsy is the ringleader and she usually thinks all of the ideas such as intertwining their hair to put in "lockets" just case one of them should die and making everything pudding.  And the other girls go along with her since she has the best ideas.  Tacy is much more a follower and Tib is the more practical one.  I like that this series grows along with the girls and I'm looking forward to the teenage years.

Hogwarts: 7 in a Series

Bright Young Things (e-book) by Anna Godbersen

It's the era of bathtub gin and speakeasies and for Cordelia and Letty it's the beginning of the rest of their lives.  After escaping from their small town in Ohio and moving to New York City each purses a dream of her own.  Cordelia seeks out the dad she never know and Letty wants to be a star.  But both find that sometimes life doesn't always go according to plan.

It was possible, but doubtful, that Cordelia fully absorbed the lesson of this moment - that when girls use the brightness of their eyes or the softness of their skin, they have an uncommon advantage in getting what they want.  (p. 57 e-book)

I am a big fan of The Luxe series, just like I am a fan of the Gossip Girl books.  Sometimes there is nothing better than a fun, light read.  So I was delighted to learn that Anna Godbersen was going to do a series in the 1920's, one of my favorite eras.  It was a great setting and I enjoyed this book.  It wasn't a retread of The Luxe, something I was afraid would happen and the characters were distinct and different.  I liked Cordelia the best since she was much stronger and more able.  I thought Letty was a bit too helpless though rightfully so.  It ended on a good cliffhanger so now I am wondering what is going to happen next. 

Hogwarts:Charms
E-book
350 Page

The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1) (audio) by Maryrose Wood

Penelope Lumley has been engaged as a governess to three children, three feral children, that is.  The Incorrigibles were found in the woods of Ashton Place and it's now Miss Lumley's job to civilize them.  But there mysteries abound.  Who are these children?  And what is Lord Ashton hiding?  And why is Old Timothy, the coachman always sulking around? So many questions and this is just the beginning.

I want to say "think A Series of Unfortunate Events mixed with a penny dreadful and The Jungle Book"  And that might come close,  but A Mysterious Howling is not depressing like ASoUE (one of my favorite series but really depressing if you read the whole thing at once).  In fact, it's jolly good fun.  Miss Lumley steps up to the plate of basically training these wolfish children and turning them into normal humans.  While she can be a bit officious, she is a great deal of fun and I loved her approach to the children.

There are plenty of mysteries raised in the first book of this series.  Why are there three feral children living in the woods at Ashton Place?  Why did Lord Ashton keep them?  What the heck is going on?  I can't wait to read more because I am really glad I got this from the library.  It is a delightful book that I highly recommend.

This is the second book that I've listened to narrated by Katherine Kellgren, the first one being The Red Pyramid.  I did not like her voice in that book.  I found it grating.  So when the audiobook began and I heard her voice, I groaned.  But I think she did an excellent job as the reader and I liked the voices she put to the characters.  I think my problem with her before stemmed from that book being a two narrator book.  She doesn't have the smoothest voice but it lent itself nicely to Miss Lumley and the Victorian feeling of the book.  I'll be happy to listen to her again if she is the narrator of The Hidden Gallery. 


5 hours 28 minutes

Hogwarts: Charms
Whisper in my Ear

Deadly by Julie Chibbaro

In the early 1900s the idea of a healthy carrier of a disease was unknown.  But then an outbreak of typhoid became and became link to a cook.  And thus was the beginning of Typhoid Mary.   Told through the eyes of a teenage girl working for the Department of Sanitation, Deadly is the story of both Typhoid Mary and Prudence, who has dream of overcoming disease and death.

Her lady came down the stairs, and when we put to her the same inquiry, her eyes brightened.  "Why, of course, Mary Mallon," she exclaimed, "she was such a darling help when the children were ill."  p.94

Before reading this, I had rudimentary knowledge of Typhoid Mary.  It's sort of just an expression now, isn't it?  But this was a real life woman.  A healthy carrier of the typhoid bacteria, she unknowingly infected at least 53 people with the disease.  When confronted with the idea that she was a healthy carrier, she refused to believe it.

Deadly, told in diary form, is the story of Prudence, a second generation immigrant who has a thirst for scientific knowledge that frowned upon in young women.  She obtains a job with the Department of Sanitation with George Soper who figures out from whom the typhoid is originating.  Prudence is a very thoughtful, curious girl with a great mind for science and a need to learn about disease and death after the death of her brother.  With her father missing in action, she lives alone with her mother in a tenement.  I thought she was a great character and I liked reading her diary, or "tablet" entries and seeing life in New York at this time.  It was very interesting.  I found the whole story of Mary fascinating and I liked how the book felt real.  All the emotions were very genuine even as most of the language was very precise and almost clinical like Prudence.  Really this is a fascinating book and I'd recommend it to anyone.  My only caveat is that it makes you want to wash your hands a whole whole lot.

ARC provided by Traveling ARC Tours
Publish date: February 22, 2011
Hogwarts: Muggle Studies

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Tessa discovers the world of magic when she is kidnapped by two warlocks. Rescued by the beautiful but aloof Will, she is soon immersed in the world of the Shadowhunters who are trying to figure out why Tessa is so important.

 "One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."  p.87 ARC

I haven't read the Mortal Instruments series so when I started Clockwork Angel I had no clue about the world that Clare has built.  I liked the steampunk aspect and the Victorian England setting and the whole Shadowhunters thing.  It was fine.  I never really connected with the story or the characters but that might have been more me than anything.  I did a 2 star reading of what should be a 4 star book.  Normally I think I would have liked this more, but it followed up truly great book and sometimes a truly great book will ruin the next book by overshadowing it.  So it's partly my fault that I can't muster up some real enthusiasm for Clockwork Angel.  That being said, there wasn't anything so wonderful in this book to make me forget about the last one and that, in a way, is the mark of a mediocre book.  If it had been great, then it would have lived up to the last book I read.

While it isn't a showstopper, it does have many solid elements.  Like I said the steampunk and time setting are really good and Clare is definitely ensconced in the world that she created for the Mortal Instruments series.  She knows it well and that flows out of the book.  The main characters were all very distinct, mostly likeable, though a bit too mysterious for my liking.  A little too much mystery doesn't make me what to read further, it makes me want to not read anymore.  A few more answers would have been okay at the end.  I'm sure that fans of Mortal Instruments series will enjoy this and the rest of the Infernal Devices series though.

Provided by Traveling ARC Tours
Publish Date: August 31, 2010
Hogwarts: Transfiguration

     "Remember that time you tried to convince to feed a poultry pie to the mallards in the park to see if you could breed a race of cannibal ducks?"
     "They ate it too, " Will reminisced.  "Blood thirsty little beasts.  Never trust a duck."
p.199 ARC

A Golden Web

Here is the story of Alessandra Giliani, a curious and smart girl living in fourteenth century Italy.  She loves to learn and is the smartest child of her household.  Unfortunately, her stepmother does not like her.  So she is locked away until she is ready to get married.  But Alessandra will not submit to this and devises a plan to go away to the university, defying society's expectations.

The cold stone of the floor seemed to grow warmer and softer beneath her knees.  And in the candlelight, after many Ave Marias, she saw a golden web cast itself like a veil over the face of the Virgin.  p.85 ARC

A Golden Web is based on a real girl who became an anatomist and a female prosector.  So it was interesting to see the few known facts about this woman turned into a book.  Alesandra was a very strong willed and kind girl and she wanted to learn but was held back because she was only a girl and her two choices were to get married or become a nun.  But she found a way around that.

I'm not one for historical fiction in general, but I liked this little book.  It did read in places like a history book, but I learned about book- making and a little about how medicine and the body was thought to work back then.  I wasn't too keen on the ending.  It seemed rushed.  But I guess it is just following along with history.

publish date April 6, 2010 Harper Teen
ARC from Traveling ARC Tours  

Hogwarts: Ancient Runes
YA
TwentyTen