Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
Paperback, 379 pages
Published: October 23rd 2012 by Harlequin Teen
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads
From Goodreads:
Don't look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.That is Ethan Chase's unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he'd dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister's world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
Kagawa is more than a writer to me. She is an artist that can vividly depict situations and characters to the point it feels as if I am there with them. The Lost Prince is no exception to this. We dive back into the Iron Fey world, but from the perspective of Meghan's younger brother, Ethan. I was curious to see how he would be woven into the storyline from the previous series. I have to say, I really love the direction the world is taking now. However, this book contains enormous spoilers for Meghan's series, so I would highly recommend reading those before beginning this one. This is one that is going on my "highly recommend" shelf for everyone!

Ethan is an interesting character to get to know. A first glance I thought he was going to be a horribly broody character that would be difficult to read. Well, I was wrong, at least about him being difficult to read. He is broody, but he definitely has his reasons. The world that his sister lives in has haunted and tormented him since he was child and the effects of that are ever present. While he considers this to be an annoyance, it actually works out in his favor when he is thrown into the mix of the Fey world. Along the way we get to meet some old friends, Meghan and Ash, and Ethan's perspective gives them a whole new maturity and meaning to me. It actually helped me understand and know them better, for the good and the bad of them. There is a whole new slew of new friends that we meet, including a particularly interesting Fey, Keirran. I am afraid to reveal too much, but I will say you would find the prequel novella, Iron Prophecy, highly entertaining in relevance to him. Love the character though, his history truly shows in his actions and personality. I can't wait to see more of him. It feels as if we barely got to know Kenzie St. James, even though we see her quite a bit, but I have a feeling we're going to get a lot closer to her as the story progresses. She has the perfect attitude and openness that Ethan needs in his life right now for stability and in a confidant. I believe she will continue to chip away those thick walls Ethan erected to protect his most precious asset, his heart.  

Oh, how I love the storyline in this series. It has a wonderful mixture of mystery, romance, and thrills that kept the pages turning. All of this with the addition of the awesome details Kagawa adds to make it truly her own. An example of this is with the Kali descriptions as Ethan is practicing and performing. Absolutely beautiful. There is also a well balanced amount of time spent on action and down-time. It keeps you heart in a constant push and shove and the pacing steady and exhilarating. The transition from the first series' plot to  this one is smooth and incorporates the previous concepts to the new seamlessly. I am very curious to see how the Forgotten play out and how Ethan, Kenzie, and Kierran determine the end game with them. They are a very intriguing antagonist. I have a feeling there is a whole other side of them that we haven't seen yet and it may not turn out the way it is originally implied. Everyone needs a champion for them, right? ;) 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Hardcover, 525 pages
Published: May 1st 2012 by HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book:  Amazon : B&N : Goodreads
From Goodreads:
One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
     Of course the anticipation for this book was high with everyone that had read Divergent last year. After that stunning debut, many were hoping the magic could be repeated with its sequel. Thankfully, hopes and dreams do come true occasionally and Roth knocked it out of the park again.
      We get to know the characters a lot more this time around. Tris and Four are really dynamic in this installment and their interactions were sometimes hit or miss with me. Their relationship has to go through several hurdles and they grow in their personalities as a result. Is it for the best? Eh, we will see next time around probably. I loved getting to know the other factions better this time. It was great learning some of their intricacies and downfalls within them. All this builds around a very hurtful betrayal by a character that might have been thought to be steady as a rock. Roth keeps the intrigue going as the character list evolves and digs deeper into turmoil.
     There was no lack of action in Insurgent, very much like Divergent. It is deeply entwined with the characters and the roller coaster of emotions that they go through, and subsequently you as well. Roth is clever with the situations that emerge and confront our heroes. She always provides a few events that make me stop and think, "Wait, what?!" Ugh, the ending though. It's sad that the book had to end, let alone leave you walking off the page like that. It only builds the anticipation for the next book which, by the way this is building, should be astronomical in proportions!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Feature & Follow - Oct. 12, 2012

 
Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a way to connect with fellow bloggers! First, blog about  Feature & Follow and weekly question, then leave your name on the Linky list, and visit as many blogs as you can on the list and tell them "Hi!" in their comments on their FF post. You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!
 
Q: What book do you think would make a great Halloween movie? Please explain in graphic detail of goriness…
 
Ok, I'm not good at writing graphic goriness, because I love just traditional zombie-ness and all its goodness. So, with that considered, I would go with Jonathan Maberry's Rot & Ruin. One, I love the story in it, some of it is cliche, but I love its flow and concepts. Two, I absolutely love the characters and already have my dream list of actors to play the characters. Due to my general boring-ness of an answer, please inform me of what your dream Halloween-book-to-movie selection would be!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday - Oct. 10, 2012

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme from Jill at Breaking the Spine. To join in, share the book or books that you are currently drooling over as you await their release and report back to Breaking the Spine with the link to your post. The gorgeous badge above is brought to us by Lindsay at The Violet Hour!

I love, love the synopsis on this one. I really hope it lives up to it!
GOWNS, GUYS, and GUNS....How could I pass that up??

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
Hardcover, 440 pages
Expected publication: December 6th 2012 by Dial
From Goodreads:
An action-packed tale of gowns, guys, guns –and the heroines who use them all

Set in turn of the century London, The Friday Society follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician's assistant. The three young women's lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.

It's up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder–and the crimes they believe may be connected to it–without calling too much attention to themselves.

Set in the past but with a modern irreverent flare, this Steampunk whodunit introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike–well, relatively ladylike–heroines poised for more dangerous adventures.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Review: Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published: October 9th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:
Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.
     I absolutely loved the concept of this book and really wanted to love it in its entirety as well. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The synopsis feels very misleading after reading the book. I was looking for a book about a girl getting revenge on her killer. Instead, I was thrown into a world that revolved around the Departurists and I was confused by this. I do not know if this was merely me missing some steps, but others have commented on this as well when I asked around. I liked the details the book incorporated, but nothing seemed to mesh for me. 
     I couldn't get attached to Velveteen or her attitude especially. She felt likable enough but there were no characteristics that made me feel connected to her or to help understand her. There was no outstanding qualities or abilities. The synopsis made me think she would be a powerful character that would take charge. I never got to see this from her. She and the other characters were just puppets that floated from one scene to the next. The lack of cohesion in this book was too much for me to enjoy it. I may revisit it later, because I usually do not leave books with this result and want to re-confirm this evaluation.