Skulduggery Is Afoot

What I'm Listening To: Linkin Park, What I've Done
What Mood I'm In Today: Editing

This is a copout, because I'm just copying and pasting my review from Goodreads, but really. I have to read all of Shakespeare's sonnets by Friday, so relax. Also, this is more of a kids book than a YA book. But I enjoyed.

 

I couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars, so I just put 4, mostly because my kids absolutely LOVED this book. They're pretty excited now to read the rest of the series.
Skulduggery Pleasant is the name of a skeleton detective who works for the magical. Stephanie is actually the protagonist, and this is her story of how she got involved in a case and a chase for a key and a mythical scepter that not even the strangest creatures believed in. It's fast paced and really interesting.
That being said, it was a little harder to follow because there was so much going on. I felt like there was a lot of information scrunched into one book, and too many characters. After a few chapters I was thinking, "Who's Tanneth?" This could also be because we listened to the book while on a road trip, so I recommend sitting down and reading this one. It will probably make more sense.
Very fun though, and my oldest son especially enjoyed it and started drawing the characters while we were in the car. If you like fantasy books that are maybe similar to Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, this is a really fun book.
Click for link to Goodreads site

Finally! The Eternity Cure is Finished

What I'm listening to: My kids playing with G.I. Joe toys.
What mood I'm in: Writing

Everybody knows I love Julie Kagawa. The second book in The Blood of Eden series called The Eternity Cure was my most recent finish. It was hard to finish, too, because I've been reading Shakespeare for school. I've got so much time on my hands, right? (Please inject sarcasm here).
The Eternity Cure begins with Allie and Jackal making their way to Keenan to free him from the psycho vamp named Sarren. On their way there, they run into Zeke of all people, and Allie remembers everything, especially how much she's in love with him. But of course, romances for vamps and humans is a no-no (if we haven't learned that from Twilight when will we?). He goes with them anyway, promising to help Allie free Keenan.
They have to deal with a power-hungry Vamp Prince who infects Keenan with the new Red Lung virus just to make sure they can track down Sarren and get a cure. We learn that Jackal has a real name - James - and it's fun for Allie to call him that because he hates it. Through all kinds of twists and turns, the end leaves you hanging and waiting for more.
AUGHHH! Spoiler Alert!
Seriously? I think Zeke is a vamp now.

Anyway...What I loved about this book was the story and the romance between Allie and Zeke. They're two totally tough kids from weird backgrounds who want to prove to the world that they can make it. I like Keenan, he's one of my favorite characters, and I'm still dying to find out why he Turned Allie. I like Jackal too, and I love the reappearance of Stick, who, let's face it, is infatuated with Allie and probably didn't feel a bit sorry for turning Zeke over to Sarren in the end.
What I didn't like about this book....not much. It was long, but sometimes it's worth it. And there were two f-bombs, which you all know I have a thing about, but I really didn't think she should've changed the language. It was there for a reason.

If you're into Dystopian thriller/romance/tough-chic novels, I seriously suggest this for you. And as always, Happy Reading!

Just So You Know

What I'm listening to right now: Celtic Violin Music
What mood I'm in today: Reading

I always try to review a book once a month, but I'm often a slacker. I haven't even really finished a book in the last two months, except for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, which I cheated with and listened to. And the truth is, I'm going back to school starting tomorrow and will be reading nothing but Shakespeare. Although I'm excited for it, it's hard to read and I doubt I will be able to fit in much else.

The first book in the series - Thanks to Google Books for image

As for my review of Percy Jackson, it'll be short. It was fun to listen to while I was doing dishes and cooking, I'll admit that. The book seemed to lose me in a few places, but the plot and overall feel of the book was just kind of fun and wholesome. It was the kind of book I needed, really. I thought Annabeth was a little more interesting in the movie than the book, and I admit that I liked the movie better, but maybe that's because I saw it first. The characters were more developed in the movie, and honestly I can't wait to see Sea Of Monsters, which just came to the movie theater.

IMDB

Honestly, I can't believe the Lightning Thief didn't get very good reviews. This is one of those movies we own and watch at least every three months. I guess when you read the book first, sometimes you don't like the movie much (enter Harry Potter), but I like this movie and the actors in it.

The one thing I did like about the book was *SPOILER ALERT* the fact that Luke went through a lot of people (Aries, for one) and made him look like the bad guy, when it was really Luke all along. I suspect, however, that as the series progresses that Luke won't be Bad Guy Number One (I could be wrong about that, who knows?) and that someone else is behind all of this messing with the gods.

Now that my schedule will be hectic, I'll probably be writing some things about Shakespeare. I'm hoping to finish The Eternity Cure before I have to take it back, but we'll see how it goes. Until then, I'm praying for more rain and that the deathly heat wave we've been experiencing is finally over. I can't wait to spend a day in the park with my back turned to the warm (not hot) sun, my nose buried in a book.

Slacker! Revel and The Gathering

New Stuff!

I'm just going to rattle off, so forgive me...

Revel, by Maurissa Giubord, was a fun and entertaining read! Although the love story wasn't as strong as in Warped, I thought the main story was more interesting. Delia, whose mother died talking about a strange island off the Maine coast, takes off in search of the island and her grandmother. When she finds both, she realizes she's in it for the long haul, whether she likes it or not.

There are strange things at this island. People live in the water - well, not people really. I like to think of them as merpeople of sorts. Everyone acts strange, and they know these sea creatures, and know that they protect the island. Delia meets Seth and Jax, two people tied to the water in more ways than one, and discovers a secret about herself that means staying on the island is even more dangerous than she first thought.

I really liked the part about the Revel, a festival of sorts, where Delia pretty much refuses to participate. You'll see why when you read the book. ;)

The Gathering by Kelly Armstrong is about a Native American girl named Maya. Link to Revel? She also lives on an island. Vancouver Island, in Canada. A small island where only the people who work at a special medical facility live. She was adopted by caucasians, and now is starting to have all kinds of funny things happen to her. Her best friend Daniel (did I get that name right?) has a talent for feeling things, and she meets a guy named Rafe, who's sister holds a secret that has everything to do with what is happening to Maya.

The further I got along in the story, the weaker it seemed to become. It was entertaining, however, and definitely interesting and different. A great spin on the shape-shifter thing; not the same old werewolf story (there are no werewolves in this story - at least not yet). I really like Maya's character as well, and the things she realizes about herself.

I've been realizing lately that I'm loving to read Young Adult books like this. Why? I think it's because 1) they're easy to read, 2) they have female protagonists, and 3) they're a very fun escape from reality. I don't need anymore reality. I have enough of that.

Until next time, keep reading!

Mind Games...Seriously

Holy slacker!
I apologize upfront, again, for not posting for two months. How crazy is that? I have read a lot since then, and I'm going to post some suggested reads really quick, along with one book that I tried to read but couldn't get through. By the way, I'm getting a little tired of all the rain here.

Mind Games, by Kiersten White, is my first suggestion. It was definitely darker than the Supernaturally series, and was a very interesting read. It didn't get the best ratings from other readers, but it's doing well enough on Goodreads to get a 3.74 star rating. My favorite part about this was how Fia is inadvertently turned into something bad,  used to assasinate a senator because of her peculiar talent for instinct. She can't get caught, not unless she wanted to, which could change the game forever. Wow, what a terrible explanation of this book, but maybe it'll give you glimpse of what I'm talking about.
I think a lot of the reviewers didn't like how the book jumped around so much, and changed POV so much, and I have to admit I got lost once or twice when trying to figure out who was talking. But it was a pretty good story, and I'm pretty excited to read the next one.

This wonderful find called Warped by Maurissa Guibord was a fantastic fantasy story where our heroine, Tessa, comes across an antique tapestry. Long story short, cute guy William comes out of the tapestry, gets Tessa into a load of trouble with the fates and the woman who's been steeling lives and weaving them into the tapestry to keep her young, and eventually makes a love connection with her, though it is marred by his past. I love the protagonist in this book; Tessa, who is just headstrong enough to withstand the blows she has to take, and her sense of good and evil. A great book to read snuggled in a blanket with a cup of tea. Charming, in a word.

I can't really honestly review this book, The Fault In Our Stars, because I didn't read it all the way through. It was difficult for me, because it was too true to life, I think. I've had to deal with too much lately to read through this and feel good about it afterward. It's why I'm taking three years to get through Mockingjay. That being said, I skimmed it. I figured out the story, and it's a touching and thoughtful story about a girl who had cancer who falls in love with a boy who has another life threatening disease. Read if you will, but be warned, it is not a happy story (that doesn't necessarily make for bad books though, right?)

Hopefully this isn't too confusing or upsetting. Shoving two months of material into one blog is tough, especially when you're pressed for time. Hoping you all have wonderful reading days ahead!

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

I'm linking this review to my Goodreads review. However, I'm also posting an exact copy below. It is my first step is phasing this blog into my Goodreads page.

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3159010-amanda

Oh, I teetered on the edge of whether to give this four or five stars forever - and ultimately ended up giving it five. Why? Because I LOVED it.

At the very beginning we meet Jacob, whose grandfather tells him outrageous stories about an orphanage he grew up in during WWII where there lived a girl who could float above ground, an invisible boy, and a girl who could make fire in her hands. Of course, I was pretty much hooked at "the girl who make fire in her hands."

Jacob grows up "realizing" that his grandpa was probably lying to him, and feeding him stories. So at the age of fifteen, he's working at a store his mother's family owns and his grandfather calls him, freaking out about finding the key to his gun safe. Jacob won't tell him where it is, because he thinks his grandfather's crazy. Unfortunately, when he goes to see his grandpa, he finds him in the trees behind his house, bleeding to death.

Now we see Jacob go through a time of thinking he's crazy, and a therapist who convinces him he really did see those things, but he was hallucinating. He comes to believe this too, until his birthday. His aunt gives him a book that's really from his grandfather, and that's when he finds the letter.

He knows that he has to go to a small island in Wales in order to solve this mystery. He convinces his therapist and his parents to let him go, so his father goes with him, eager to do some birding for his book there. While Jacob is exploring the island, he finds the orphanage, which is old, abandoned, and decriped - the way it ended up when the island was bombed. He finds a trunk full of old pictures (which, by the way, are a really fun part of the story), and sees several children, one of whom he chases through the bog and into a cairn.

This is where he finds out how much of the truth his grandfather was telling him. He has just stepped back in time - or into a time loop, which would be more accurate. There are peculiar children here, and they all live at an orphanage, and every day is September 3, 1940. They live in a time loop because of the wights and the monsters.

Should I tell you anymore? I'm hoping that I whet your whistle enough to drag you in. Fair warning; this book contains the normal foul language of many other YA books, and some violence and blood because of the monsters. Was it worth it? Oh yeah. I'm trying to think of another book to compare this too, but it's really hard to think of one. Sort of a Harry Potter meets X-Men meets historical fiction. Something like that. Riggs has an amazing talent for telling this story, and left nothing out that shouldn't have been and put nothing in that shouldn't have been.

Great read! My next question is, will there be a sequel?