Salutations comrades! I hope this Friday was a happy one! :) Anyway onto the literature! :)
Uncommon Criminals is the second book in Ally Carter's Heist Society series. If you'd like to see my review of the first book, click here. In this installment, Katarina Bishop is back in the thieving world for good, but doing it Kat style. Until she gets hired to steal something that is impossible to steal, something rumored to be cursed: The Cleopatra Emerald (dun dun DUNNNN). But this job has more intricacies, betrayals, and shocks than Kat has ever dealt with. Soon, Kat realizes this time, she has to make the rules as she goes along.
I LOVE this book. It is such s great sequel to HS. Even better, I say! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, which makes a great adventure novel. This book hooks you at the instant you read the first sentence. And the twists, the ending! Oh my god, you never see any of it coming, and the shock is just wonderful and lovely. I was almost inconsolable as this book came to it's close, as if I was on the best roller coaster ever, and I finally came down. The character development was consistent, which was great.
Kat is still kicking butt in this book. Still proving to adults that kids can be just as, if not more cunning and intelligent. I loved seeing the parallel between the heist and her personal life, watching her learn her latest lesson. I'm glad she resolved her issues with her family and friends. I loved watching her grow up and change, which all books should do concerning character development. Which brings me to Hale. Hale is still fantastic and crush-worthy, although a bit moodier and less in the novel. The villain was fantastic, brilliantly villainy, in the best sense possible. All your favorite characters, like Simon, the Bahgshaws, and Gabrielle returned, back and better than ever.
Carter has such a way with words, even making me like her 3rd person POV. She is so talented, the light is blinding! I love how she kept her characters interesting, developing without becoming one dimensional. The story flowed well, weaving a great heist story with juicy relationship/family drama and a dash of romance.
Fans of Heist Society will love this sequel.
I'll next be reviewing Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan.
Until next time, viva la literature!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Currently Reading #1
Salutations comrades! We have come to the end of another Currently Reading list. It is time for the next one. This list's theme is Sequel Madness! This list will feature sequels to books past read. Will they live up to snuff? Be on par with their predecessors? We shall see! Without further ado, here are the books in list 3:
1. Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2) - Ally Carter
2. Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles #2) - Rick Riordan
3. Fins are Forever (Fins #2) - Tera Lynn Childs
4. Hunger (Gone #2) - Michael Grant
5. The Secret Prince (Knightley Academy #2) - Violet Haberdasher
6. The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane #2) - Jaye Wells
7. A Tale of Two Goblins (Dulcie O'Neill #2) - H.P. Mallory
8. FM for Murder (Pamela Barnes Acoustic Mysteries #2) - Patricia Rockwell
Well that's this time's list! Can't wait to dive in! :)
Until next time, viva la literature!
1. Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2) - Ally Carter
2. Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles #2) - Rick Riordan
3. Fins are Forever (Fins #2) - Tera Lynn Childs
4. Hunger (Gone #2) - Michael Grant
5. The Secret Prince (Knightley Academy #2) - Violet Haberdasher
6. The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane #2) - Jaye Wells
7. A Tale of Two Goblins (Dulcie O'Neill #2) - H.P. Mallory
8. FM for Murder (Pamela Barnes Acoustic Mysteries #2) - Patricia Rockwell
Well that's this time's list! Can't wait to dive in! :)
Until next time, viva la literature!
Review #55: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Greetings my gorgeous comrades! Damn, I just noticed I have posted so much this week. Wow! I must warn that posting might be more infrequent, as I'm starting up school again. I shall roll with the punches as life goes on. But anyway, lets talk literature!
Nevermore is the first in a series by Kelly Creagh. Isobel is a junior in High School, a typical blonde cheerleader who hangs with the popular crowd. She gets paired up with Varen Nethers, a goth student who she would rather eat nails than work with. They must do a project on a dead author due Halloween, also the day of the highly anticipated rival game. As Isobel and Varen work on the project, they start getting closer, Isobel abandoning her friends to be with him. She becomes fascinated after sneaking a glimpse of his notebook. As time goes on, both fall in love, deeply, passionately. But Varen is steadily being pulled away into a dangerous dream world, and only Isobel can save him.
I had such high expectations of this book. After seeing great reviews, having it's praises sung so high, I was itching to read this. Sadly, it fell short a few notches. I found myself skipping pages, almost wanting to skip chapters. The story just didn't live up to snuff for me. I was bored quite easily at times. I do give credit to Kelly for using Poe as the basis for a YA Paranormal Romance. I mean, using Poe's stories, and the Poe Toaster! Being a fan of Poe, I was excited. It was a unique concept, and I do adore the dream world she created, that beautiful, frightening dream world. But I was just bored by the story itself. You should be engrossed while reading, not bored.
Isobel was a cool character. I do love when a character starts out one way, and gradually as the story goes on that character is more that what they seemed. She stood up for what she believed in, never faltering once, even if that meant losing her friends and social standing. Varen was great as well, just a really cool character/love interest. I do have a gripe, I didn't feel their romance so much. It moved soo slowly, too slowly. I know love doesn't happen fast, but this was at a snail pace. Brad, well he was an arse, a grade A one. I wanted to smack him and bring him to reality. Gah, I hate such maliciousness and ignorance. Gwen was awesome, especially since we're both New Yorkers :). Reynolds is one of my favorites, smugness and all. He was mysterious and grabbed my favor as soon as he appeared.
Again, kudos to Creagh for using an original concept for YA. I adored her dream world, wanting to get lost in it. Something I dislike is 3rd person POV, unless it is done really well, which I don't find often. This 3rd person fell flat. I would have loved to see Isobel's thoughts in 1st person, it would have been much better, at least to me.
Overall, this book was decent. I'll read what happens next, to see what happens to Isobel and Varen. Hopefully Ms. Creagh will improve, and win my full favor.
I will be reviewing Uncommon Criminals next.
Until next time, viva la literature!
Nevermore is the first in a series by Kelly Creagh. Isobel is a junior in High School, a typical blonde cheerleader who hangs with the popular crowd. She gets paired up with Varen Nethers, a goth student who she would rather eat nails than work with. They must do a project on a dead author due Halloween, also the day of the highly anticipated rival game. As Isobel and Varen work on the project, they start getting closer, Isobel abandoning her friends to be with him. She becomes fascinated after sneaking a glimpse of his notebook. As time goes on, both fall in love, deeply, passionately. But Varen is steadily being pulled away into a dangerous dream world, and only Isobel can save him.
I had such high expectations of this book. After seeing great reviews, having it's praises sung so high, I was itching to read this. Sadly, it fell short a few notches. I found myself skipping pages, almost wanting to skip chapters. The story just didn't live up to snuff for me. I was bored quite easily at times. I do give credit to Kelly for using Poe as the basis for a YA Paranormal Romance. I mean, using Poe's stories, and the Poe Toaster! Being a fan of Poe, I was excited. It was a unique concept, and I do adore the dream world she created, that beautiful, frightening dream world. But I was just bored by the story itself. You should be engrossed while reading, not bored.
Isobel was a cool character. I do love when a character starts out one way, and gradually as the story goes on that character is more that what they seemed. She stood up for what she believed in, never faltering once, even if that meant losing her friends and social standing. Varen was great as well, just a really cool character/love interest. I do have a gripe, I didn't feel their romance so much. It moved soo slowly, too slowly. I know love doesn't happen fast, but this was at a snail pace. Brad, well he was an arse, a grade A one. I wanted to smack him and bring him to reality. Gah, I hate such maliciousness and ignorance. Gwen was awesome, especially since we're both New Yorkers :). Reynolds is one of my favorites, smugness and all. He was mysterious and grabbed my favor as soon as he appeared.
Again, kudos to Creagh for using an original concept for YA. I adored her dream world, wanting to get lost in it. Something I dislike is 3rd person POV, unless it is done really well, which I don't find often. This 3rd person fell flat. I would have loved to see Isobel's thoughts in 1st person, it would have been much better, at least to me.
Overall, this book was decent. I'll read what happens next, to see what happens to Isobel and Varen. Hopefully Ms. Creagh will improve, and win my full favor.
I will be reviewing Uncommon Criminals next.
Until next time, viva la literature!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Review #54: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly
Heylo, my fabulous comrades :). This will be a short review, because I just had to stop reading this book.
Angel Burn is the first in a series by L.A. Weatherly. Willow has powers, powers she can not explain. She lives with her Aunt Jo and her catatonic mother. Alex is an Angel Killer, sworn to protect humans against the Angels, whom drain humans' life force, then kill them. When he finds himself falling in love with one of his targets, things get complicated.
I could not bring myself to continue reading this. It just got horrible. The blandness is so bad, I haven't seen blandness like this in a while. Maybe because I've read a string of great/fantastic books recently, that I've become wary of anything not remotely amazing. But that's not it. Again, this book is just bland, at least to me. I mean, it's kind of cool making Angels the bad guy, but none of the Angelic beings I saw in this book were interesting. Willow and Alex, the main duo/lovers, were in my opinion, so bland they were like beige wet dishrags. X_X Hell, Willow's catatonic mother had more personality than Willow.
I won't stop you from reading this. To each their own, hey you might like it. But for me, the buck stops here.
I'll next be reviewing Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Until next time, viva la literature!
Angel Burn is the first in a series by L.A. Weatherly. Willow has powers, powers she can not explain. She lives with her Aunt Jo and her catatonic mother. Alex is an Angel Killer, sworn to protect humans against the Angels, whom drain humans' life force, then kill them. When he finds himself falling in love with one of his targets, things get complicated.
I could not bring myself to continue reading this. It just got horrible. The blandness is so bad, I haven't seen blandness like this in a while. Maybe because I've read a string of great/fantastic books recently, that I've become wary of anything not remotely amazing. But that's not it. Again, this book is just bland, at least to me. I mean, it's kind of cool making Angels the bad guy, but none of the Angelic beings I saw in this book were interesting. Willow and Alex, the main duo/lovers, were in my opinion, so bland they were like beige wet dishrags. X_X Hell, Willow's catatonic mother had more personality than Willow.
I won't stop you from reading this. To each their own, hey you might like it. But for me, the buck stops here.
I'll next be reviewing Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Until next time, viva la literature!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Review #53: Die for Me by Amy Plum
Hello again my friends! Got another review, since I devoured this book in one day. Literally one day. Lets go!
Die for Me is the first in the Die for Me series by Amy Plum. It centers around Kate Mercie, a 17 year old girl whose parents died, leaving her and her sister Georgia orphans. They move to Paris to live with their paternal grandmother and grandfather. While in a deep depression, Kate meets Vincent, a sexy, mysterious guy with a secret. As they fall deeper in love, Kate must decide whether or not to be with the guy of her dreams, or forgo him for a normal life. As she makes her decision, the evil counterpart of Vincent and his "family" close in, threatening to destroy Vincent and everything his family had done.
Oh. My. God. I adore this book. Almost to the level of worship. I can say this without a doubt, that it is one of my favorite books of the year. It has easily made my top 10 of all time favorites. Easily. It flowed so well, I could not stop reading. I was truly sucked into this beautiful and at times frightening tale. I wasn't kidding when I said I read this in one day. I started at around 3, and ended at 4 in the morning. I just adore this story. The ending was especially beautiful. Plus the concept is just brilliant. I have never seen a story about Revnants in YA. It was just refreshing and original and unique to YA. Quite a breath of fresh air it was.
Kate was great. I loved her character. I feel like she should be real, so that we could be be best friends. She was a great heroine to have. She never made poor choices, she knew what was right. And something I have to point out, which a reviewer I follow pointed out. There is a trope in YA right now about how heroines are such big readers. At one point, it'll be mentioned that the character has a large stack of books, but you never see them reading. As my fellow reviewer said, it was nice to see Kate actually reading. Vincent was fabulous. I so wish he were real, so I could be his girlfriend. Sorry Kate, but he's mine ;). So romantic and amazing. The side characters, like Ambrose, Georgia, Charlotte and Gaspard were fantastic. I loved all of them, again, even the villains. All well developed, given backstories, and never shoved to the side.
I worship Amy Plum's writing style. It again, just flowed like a waterfall, and she built her world well. She knows how to craft a story and characters like a boss.
I will say this flat: You'd be crazy not to read this book. It is flat out one of the best books this year.
I'll next be reviewing Angel Burn by L.A Weatherly.
Until next time, viva la literature!
Die for Me is the first in the Die for Me series by Amy Plum. It centers around Kate Mercie, a 17 year old girl whose parents died, leaving her and her sister Georgia orphans. They move to Paris to live with their paternal grandmother and grandfather. While in a deep depression, Kate meets Vincent, a sexy, mysterious guy with a secret. As they fall deeper in love, Kate must decide whether or not to be with the guy of her dreams, or forgo him for a normal life. As she makes her decision, the evil counterpart of Vincent and his "family" close in, threatening to destroy Vincent and everything his family had done.
Oh. My. God. I adore this book. Almost to the level of worship. I can say this without a doubt, that it is one of my favorite books of the year. It has easily made my top 10 of all time favorites. Easily. It flowed so well, I could not stop reading. I was truly sucked into this beautiful and at times frightening tale. I wasn't kidding when I said I read this in one day. I started at around 3, and ended at 4 in the morning. I just adore this story. The ending was especially beautiful. Plus the concept is just brilliant. I have never seen a story about Revnants in YA. It was just refreshing and original and unique to YA. Quite a breath of fresh air it was.
Kate was great. I loved her character. I feel like she should be real, so that we could be be best friends. She was a great heroine to have. She never made poor choices, she knew what was right. And something I have to point out, which a reviewer I follow pointed out. There is a trope in YA right now about how heroines are such big readers. At one point, it'll be mentioned that the character has a large stack of books, but you never see them reading. As my fellow reviewer said, it was nice to see Kate actually reading. Vincent was fabulous. I so wish he were real, so I could be his girlfriend. Sorry Kate, but he's mine ;). So romantic and amazing. The side characters, like Ambrose, Georgia, Charlotte and Gaspard were fantastic. I loved all of them, again, even the villains. All well developed, given backstories, and never shoved to the side.
I worship Amy Plum's writing style. It again, just flowed like a waterfall, and she built her world well. She knows how to craft a story and characters like a boss.
I will say this flat: You'd be crazy not to read this book. It is flat out one of the best books this year.
I'll next be reviewing Angel Burn by L.A Weatherly.
Until next time, viva la literature!
Review #52 The Strange Case of Finley Jayne and The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Hello my fantastic comrades. Hope this week is going well for ya. Got a book/novella review so lets away!
Let me preface by saying I decided to combine these two in one review because of how short TSCOFY is. Plus it basically leads right into TGITSC, so yeah.
The Strange Case of Finley Jayne and The Girl in the Steel Corset are by Kady Cross. They are the start of the Steampunk Chronicles.
TSCOFJ starts with Finley Jayne getting kicked out of her job because of this "thing" inside her. It makes her capable of punching her elders with a single blow. She immediately gets another job with an aristocrat, being paid to be a companion for her daughter Chloe. As Finley gets to know her employer and befriend Chloe, she gets a bad feeling about Chloe's fiance, a Erlking who is twice her age. How far will Finley go to protect her new friend?
I quite liked this novella. It had enough to keep you going in nice short chapters and 78 pages. I liked it's flow, it's world building, and the characters.
Finley was great. I loved her lines and how she thought, and how much she struggled with her darker side. She is a kickass character. Chloe was cool too. Too timid, but she seemed loyal. Is it sad I don't remember the names of the other characters? That just means they were forgettable, which is ok for me, since this was so short.
I'll save the writing style for later in the review.
Now onto The Girl in the Steel Corset.
The Girl in the Steel Corset continues Finley's story. After knocking out the lecherous son of her new employer, Finley is scared for her life, as well as scared of herself. She runs away for fear of being fired. Out on the streets, she meets Griffin King, a young orphaned duke who lives with his best friends, and they all have strange abilities of their own. He sees something special in Finley, and takes her in. Finley must continue to struggle with her inner turmoil, while adapting to her new surroundings as well as her new friends. She also learns that her new friends are pseudo crime fighters, keeping London safe from devious criminals. She gets swept up in their latest mission: To stop The Machinist, a criminal mastermind with an eye on the throne.
I have to be honest, for about the first quarter/half of this novel, I despised this book. I hated how Cross revealed what I thought was a major plot twist so early (as in on page 78 of 289 or so early). I mean as I read on I realized how integral that twist was, and how important it was to reveal it so early, but still. I still hate that part. Also I don't like how modern London was, even though this is a steampunk novel. The characters had almost every single modern convenience, and it really angered me. Again, I know this is a steampunk novel, but the inventions were just too much, and too many. But after I got past that beginning, I was blown away by this book. I stayed up until 6 in the morning to finish it. The whole novel (including the bad part) flowed well, and you were sucked in, wanting to know what happens and to keep turning the pages. Plus that ending just utterly blew my mind. Holy crap, was that an amazingly brilliant ending. Plus it cliffhangered well, making you want to read the next installment, when it comes out.
Finley still kicked ass. You really get in depth into her internal struggle between her and her other self. She's still kick-ass, and just an all around enjoyable character. Griffin was great, amazing. Quite sexy and smart. Although at times, I felt like he should have just went in for the kill on romancing Finley, damn the consequences! Their chemistry was great, and a joy to read. Then there is Jack Dandy, the third part of the love triangle. Dark and mysterious, with a soft side, especially for Finley. I don't know who I love more, Jack or Griff. Jack is just deliciously wonderful. I hope he is more prominent in the second book. Emily was great, and I wish she was real so we could be friends. She's a great friend to Finley, while holding her own as a character. She is funny, loyal, and kick-butt in her own right. Sam, I'll admit, is an ass. Sorry, but for most of the book, he is just rude, suspicious, and nasty. I know he has his reasons, blah blah blah. That still doesn't excuse his behavior. Plus his role in the end angered me even more. I hope he redeems himself in the next book. In essence, all the side characters were great. Well developed, not shoved aside, all around enjoyable, except for Sam. Hell even the villain was cool, especially scary.
I liked Cross' style. It was cool, the descriptions were fantastic. Despite my issues with her version of steampunk, I quite enjoyed her world building.
If you like steampunk novels, pick this up.
I'll next be reviewing Die for Me by Amy Plum
Until next time comrades, viva la literature!
Let me preface by saying I decided to combine these two in one review because of how short TSCOFY is. Plus it basically leads right into TGITSC, so yeah.
The Strange Case of Finley Jayne and The Girl in the Steel Corset are by Kady Cross. They are the start of the Steampunk Chronicles.
TSCOFJ starts with Finley Jayne getting kicked out of her job because of this "thing" inside her. It makes her capable of punching her elders with a single blow. She immediately gets another job with an aristocrat, being paid to be a companion for her daughter Chloe. As Finley gets to know her employer and befriend Chloe, she gets a bad feeling about Chloe's fiance, a Erlking who is twice her age. How far will Finley go to protect her new friend?
I quite liked this novella. It had enough to keep you going in nice short chapters and 78 pages. I liked it's flow, it's world building, and the characters.
Finley was great. I loved her lines and how she thought, and how much she struggled with her darker side. She is a kickass character. Chloe was cool too. Too timid, but she seemed loyal. Is it sad I don't remember the names of the other characters? That just means they were forgettable, which is ok for me, since this was so short.
I'll save the writing style for later in the review.
Now onto The Girl in the Steel Corset.
The Girl in the Steel Corset continues Finley's story. After knocking out the lecherous son of her new employer, Finley is scared for her life, as well as scared of herself. She runs away for fear of being fired. Out on the streets, she meets Griffin King, a young orphaned duke who lives with his best friends, and they all have strange abilities of their own. He sees something special in Finley, and takes her in. Finley must continue to struggle with her inner turmoil, while adapting to her new surroundings as well as her new friends. She also learns that her new friends are pseudo crime fighters, keeping London safe from devious criminals. She gets swept up in their latest mission: To stop The Machinist, a criminal mastermind with an eye on the throne.
I have to be honest, for about the first quarter/half of this novel, I despised this book. I hated how Cross revealed what I thought was a major plot twist so early (as in on page 78 of 289 or so early). I mean as I read on I realized how integral that twist was, and how important it was to reveal it so early, but still. I still hate that part. Also I don't like how modern London was, even though this is a steampunk novel. The characters had almost every single modern convenience, and it really angered me. Again, I know this is a steampunk novel, but the inventions were just too much, and too many. But after I got past that beginning, I was blown away by this book. I stayed up until 6 in the morning to finish it. The whole novel (including the bad part) flowed well, and you were sucked in, wanting to know what happens and to keep turning the pages. Plus that ending just utterly blew my mind. Holy crap, was that an amazingly brilliant ending. Plus it cliffhangered well, making you want to read the next installment, when it comes out.
Finley still kicked ass. You really get in depth into her internal struggle between her and her other self. She's still kick-ass, and just an all around enjoyable character. Griffin was great, amazing. Quite sexy and smart. Although at times, I felt like he should have just went in for the kill on romancing Finley, damn the consequences! Their chemistry was great, and a joy to read. Then there is Jack Dandy, the third part of the love triangle. Dark and mysterious, with a soft side, especially for Finley. I don't know who I love more, Jack or Griff. Jack is just deliciously wonderful. I hope he is more prominent in the second book. Emily was great, and I wish she was real so we could be friends. She's a great friend to Finley, while holding her own as a character. She is funny, loyal, and kick-butt in her own right. Sam, I'll admit, is an ass. Sorry, but for most of the book, he is just rude, suspicious, and nasty. I know he has his reasons, blah blah blah. That still doesn't excuse his behavior. Plus his role in the end angered me even more. I hope he redeems himself in the next book. In essence, all the side characters were great. Well developed, not shoved aside, all around enjoyable, except for Sam. Hell even the villain was cool, especially scary.
I liked Cross' style. It was cool, the descriptions were fantastic. Despite my issues with her version of steampunk, I quite enjoyed her world building.
If you like steampunk novels, pick this up.
I'll next be reviewing Die for Me by Amy Plum
Until next time comrades, viva la literature!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Review #51: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Greetings once again my fantastic comrades :). Have a review for you tonight as well. Lets get started! :)
The Iron King is the first in the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. On Meghan Chase's 16th birthday, she comes home to find her little brother Ethan standing over their mom, holding a butter knife and grinning evilly. She finds out he has been stolen by the Fey, taken to their magical realm, called the Nevernever. Along with her best friend, she embarks on a journey that will change her and shape the Nevernever's future.
I have to be honest, at first I didn't like this book. I mean yes it was interesting, but I predicted the first two plot twists, and that is not good. But luckily that was early in the novel, and it got better and better. I absolutely love it now. The story is fantastic, and I confess I am in love with the world of the story. Kagawa borrows from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and builds a fantastic world upon it, layering and adding great characters. Apart from the beginning, of which I still hold contempt, the story is fantastically amazing. I enjoyed the ride it took me on, playing on my emotions in the best way possible.
I think Meghan has become one of my literary heroes now. Her strength and her determination and loyalty make me admire her so much. Plus she has some great lines. But I just admire her character so much, and the journey she goes on is great to watch, you root for her. Puck, he is brilliant. I am in love with him and his wit and humor, and how much he cares for Meghan (although I wish it were me instead hehe). And I completely prefer him to Ash. *Sigh* Oh Ash. I mean, he's cool and all, and I understand why he was cold and kind of nasty for most of the book, but still, I think he's an ass. He really is. He only showed care for Meghan near the end. I can't find any real redeeming qualities in him. Maybe in the next book, but for now, I dislike him. I find Grimalkin utterly fascinating. He is quite complex, never knowing what his next move will be. I hope he's in the next book more, because I adore him. Oberon, oh god. I'm sorry, but he's an ass as well. I know he had good reasons for what he did, but I hate how he treated Meghan, just hated it. Yes, he's a literary character, and yes he's an adult, but I wanted to smack him. Titania on the other hand, I'm conflicted. Of the little time I saw her, I also wanted to smack her, but she also had good reasons as well for acting as she did.
I absolutely adore Julie Kagawa's writing style. It's so fluid, and her world building was just flawless. I can't wait for the next book so I can see more of this fantastic world. I want to live there, despite the dangers. More Nevernever!
If you love a good Fey novel, with some romance and action, pick this up. Love YA? Read this!
I'll next be reviewing The Strange Case of Finley Jayne/The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross.
Until next time, viva la literature!
The Iron King is the first in the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. On Meghan Chase's 16th birthday, she comes home to find her little brother Ethan standing over their mom, holding a butter knife and grinning evilly. She finds out he has been stolen by the Fey, taken to their magical realm, called the Nevernever. Along with her best friend, she embarks on a journey that will change her and shape the Nevernever's future.
I have to be honest, at first I didn't like this book. I mean yes it was interesting, but I predicted the first two plot twists, and that is not good. But luckily that was early in the novel, and it got better and better. I absolutely love it now. The story is fantastic, and I confess I am in love with the world of the story. Kagawa borrows from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and builds a fantastic world upon it, layering and adding great characters. Apart from the beginning, of which I still hold contempt, the story is fantastically amazing. I enjoyed the ride it took me on, playing on my emotions in the best way possible.
I think Meghan has become one of my literary heroes now. Her strength and her determination and loyalty make me admire her so much. Plus she has some great lines. But I just admire her character so much, and the journey she goes on is great to watch, you root for her. Puck, he is brilliant. I am in love with him and his wit and humor, and how much he cares for Meghan (although I wish it were me instead hehe). And I completely prefer him to Ash. *Sigh* Oh Ash. I mean, he's cool and all, and I understand why he was cold and kind of nasty for most of the book, but still, I think he's an ass. He really is. He only showed care for Meghan near the end. I can't find any real redeeming qualities in him. Maybe in the next book, but for now, I dislike him. I find Grimalkin utterly fascinating. He is quite complex, never knowing what his next move will be. I hope he's in the next book more, because I adore him. Oberon, oh god. I'm sorry, but he's an ass as well. I know he had good reasons for what he did, but I hate how he treated Meghan, just hated it. Yes, he's a literary character, and yes he's an adult, but I wanted to smack him. Titania on the other hand, I'm conflicted. Of the little time I saw her, I also wanted to smack her, but she also had good reasons as well for acting as she did.
I absolutely adore Julie Kagawa's writing style. It's so fluid, and her world building was just flawless. I can't wait for the next book so I can see more of this fantastic world. I want to live there, despite the dangers. More Nevernever!
If you love a good Fey novel, with some romance and action, pick this up. Love YA? Read this!
I'll next be reviewing The Strange Case of Finley Jayne/The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross.
Until next time, viva la literature!
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