Book Review: The Iron daughter

Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: August 1, 2010
Pages: 359
Read it in: 2 days
Source: The library :)

Summary: Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey— ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

LC's Take:

"I couldn't be normal and ignorant ever again, knowing what was out there. Faery was a part of me now. As long as I lived, I would always be watching for hidden doors and figures from the corner of my eyes. And for a certain dark prince who could never be mine..."  ~p.125-6

Gah! I don't know why it took me so long to get to the second book in this series-- because from the moment I picked up The Iron Daughter, I was reminded of why I love these books so much. The Iron Fey series is just one of those stories that sucks you into another world and makes it so that you never want to leave. The faery world that Julie Kagawa creates, I mean what can I say? It's freaking magical!

So honestly, it had been so long since I read The Iron King, that I didn't even remember what had been going on. But The Iron Daughter does a really good job of not only picking up with things where they left off, but also explaining bits of what had already happened, so I didn't feel totally lost. Basically, after defeating the first Iron King in book one, Meghan has to go back to the Winter (Unseelie) Court to fulfill a promise she had made (and if you know anything about the world of feary, you can never break a promise!) While at the Winter Court, the Scepter of the Seasons is stolen from Queen Mab, which controls the Winter and Summer seasons, and her oldest son Sage is brutally murdered. Mab assumes this is the Summer Court's fault, and now Winter and Summer are at war. Added to this, Meghan finds out that the Iron realm, which is slowly killing the entire faery world, is still very much in existence and growing stronger... now she has to get back the Scepter of the Seasons and stop Virus, the new leader of Iron from destroying the Nevernever.

Whew! Yeah a lot was going on in this book! It was super intense but I absolutely loved following the story, especially since there were so many new and amazing characters like Leanisidhe, and old characters that came back like Grimalken the Caithe Sidhe (faery cat). Seriously, the characters in this series are really what make it so awesome to read-- they are all so fleshed-out and interesting, and so many of them are really quirky and just a lot of fun to read about. So besides the awesome story, the characters just make these books even better!

Then we have the whole development of the love triangle between Meghan, Ash and Puck. And honestly, for as much as I usually can't stand YA love triangles  this one is being done right so far. It's believable, and it's not too overdone. I actually liked reading about Meghan's confusion over whether Ash truly has feelings for her or is just tricking her to get her back to the Winter Court. And I have to say, I also really like Puck, and how he has feelings for Meghan and she sort of does too, but she isn't sure whether to go with him or the forbidden Winter Prince. I'll be very interested to see where things go with Meghan and these two guys!

My ONE problem with this book-- and it's a bit of a spoiler, so if you haven't read this far yet, you might want to skip here-- my one problem, or question, was near the end when Ash is talking with Mab, Queen of the Winter/Unseelie court, and he says the following:

"I swear an oath," he whispered, "never to see her [Meghan] again, never to speak to her again, to sever all relationships with her, and return to the Winter Court."   ~p. 352

Now, in context, Ash is responding to Mab when she asks him what he has to do next if he wants to be able to stay in the Nevernever. HOWEVER-- I thought when I read this that he was ACTUALLY taking an oath and promising all those things... And couldn't Mab and the rest of her court also have interpreted his words that way? Aren't words like the number one thing that holds power in the realm of faery?!? So how was Ash able to say this statement-- which can SO easily be interpreted in two different ways-- and still get to make a choice whether to go or stay?? Unless this potentially is going to come into play again later on in the series, I kind of feel like this is a huge plot slip. But I don't know, I guess I'll have to see what happens with that!!

So overall, The Iron Daughter was a great sequel to The Iron King. Also, it didn't suffer from "second book syndrome" at all-- the plot was paced well and I never lost interest in what was going on. When I chose to pick up on this series again, I had really been in the mood for a good paranormal story and this one absolutely satisfied my YA-paranormal craving. If you are looking for an amazing story with great characters and beautiful writing, I would highly suggest getting into this series, it really is just as wonderful as everyone says it is!

~Cover Talk~

The covers for the Iron series are gorgeous, hands down. And put them all together, and they are absolutely stunning! I really like this cover, the model used for Meghan is beautiful, I love all the scroll-work details, the font used for the title, the icy blue shades-- this is one of those books that I can literally just sit and admire for the outside look alone! I *only* wish that they came in hardcover, because that would be amazing!!

LC's Rating:

Another amazing book in the Iron Fey series! With a story you can't put down and interesting characters that you won't be able to forget, The Iron Daughter was a great sequel. I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens with Meghan, Ash, Puck, and everyone else in the Nevernever!

Find it!

Book Review: Born At Midnight

Author: C.C. Hunter
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Series: Shadow Falls #1
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Pages: 398
Read it in: 3 days

Summary: One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

LC's Take:

So I know this probably goes without saying, but I just adore fun books with fun, snarky main characters who make me laugh. I love reading from the voice of a down-to-earth, yet slightly goofy chick who has confidence and isn't afraid to make fun of herself a little. I also love when that same snarky, fun character has a serious side as well, with real emotions and issues that are tough to deal with. And so the main reason I loved Born At Midnight was because Kylie, the main character, was all of the above.

Seriously guys, read this book just because of Kylie, that's all I'm saying! She was an awesome character who was easy to relate to-- you just can't help but love her. The poor girl has to go through so many things throughout this book, including her parent's divorce, dealing with her friend Sara's pregnancy scare, a broken heart from her ex-boyfriend Trey, and then to top it all off, dealing with a major identity crisis! After getting landed at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie has to try and not only figure out who she is, but what she is, since it becomes clear that she's not totally human, but no one can really explain for sure what makes Kylie so different... To make matters worse, she has a creepy ghost she's nicknamed "Soldier Dude" following her around wherever she goes, and even in the supernatural world, it's not a common thing to be able to see dead people.

Another thing I totally loved about this book was that it took place at a summer camp-- and not just any summer camp, but one especially for supernaturals. This was such a fun twist on the typical "boarding school" kind of story, and I thought it made the book both unique and memorable.

And then we have the boy love interests: Trey is the guy who ditched Kylie awhile back, but she can't seem to get over him. Derek is the super-sexy half-fey guy she meets at Shadow Falls Camp, and he was definitely swoon-worthy! And then there's Lucas, a werewolf who's more on the dark and dangerous side, but who Kylie can't help but be equally attracted to. So yes, there was plenty of romance and love triangles and quadrangles going on in this book, but it was still fun to read about! 

The deliciously suspenseful cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter definitely made Born at Midnight impossible to put down-- it was like getting to the end of a TV show that you're just dying to see the next episode of because it ended by leaving you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails to get to the next plot twist. That really made this book fun to read!

The only thing that threw me off a little bit was the gigantic mish-mash of supernatural and paranormal genres-- I didn't mind there being faeries, witches, vampires, unicorns and werewolves all together in the same story,  but then there was also talk about Kylie being "descended from the Gods," and at that point I was just like, whoa whoa-- what?! There are gods in this book too?? Adding in mythology when there are already so many different things going on in the plot made it a little more difficult for me to follow. Oh, and the eyebrow-twitching thing was also a little weird. Basically, supernaturals can "twitch" their eyebrows to get a vibe about another supernatural, and I kept trying to picture this in my head, and every time ended up mentally giggling to myself :)

Overall Born at Midnight was a great book because it had a fun setting and fun characters, and the plot was definitely suspenseful and kept me reading. I would highly recommend picking up this book if you like the whole "boarding school" genre, or reading any kind of supernatural story. 

~Cover Love~

OMGosh, this is total cover love! Not only did this cover draw me in right away with the mysterious picture of the split tree and girl, but it's like, purple and silvery! This is one of those covers that is beautiful anyways, but when you see it in person, it's even better. I also think that the girl looks just like Kylie would look.

LC's Rating:

Awesome characters and a suspenseful story line made this book a must-read! Add in the fact that it takes place at a summer camp for supernaturals, and you have yourself one awesome book-- definitely have this one bumped UP on your TBR lists! :D

Book Review: City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: March 25, 2008
Pages: 453
Read it in: 3 days

Summary: Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go — especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil — and also her father.

To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings — and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

In this breath-taking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

LC's Take:

Holy crap-- seriously guys-- you NEED to drop everything you're doing and GO READ this series like, pronto! No pressure or anything. I'm just saying. It is totally rocking my socks off-- I really enjoyed City of Bones, the first in The Mortal Instruments series, and City of Ashes has just sucked me in even more. From the world-building to the characters to the storyline, I am so hooked into these books!

One of the things I love most about this series so far is that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, not knowing what to expect next. In City of Bones, we were thrown an absolutely crazy plot twist towards the end, so I knew going into City of Ashes ANYTHING could happen. And Cassandra gives just enough info away that you're begging for more, but not quite enough that you ever stop guessing as to what will come next. For this reason, City of Ashes was definitely a page-turner!

So this second book continues the story of Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon warring against the evil Valentine, to save the powerful Mortal Instruments and make sure Valentine doesn't gain ultimate power to destroy all Downworlders-- vampires, werewolves, faeries and warlocks. Along the way, they team up with Magnus Bane again, Chief Warlock of NYC, the Queen of the Fairy Realm, and others to battle against the demons that Valentine has summoned to wipe out anyone he thinks is "impure" and ruin the Clave of Shadowhunters who live to keep a balance between everyone. In the last book, Valentine was after the Mortal Cup which gave him the power to turn humans into zombie-like Shadowhunters who would kill at his will. In this second book, Valentine is now after the Mortal Sword, which he can turn evil with the blood of 4 Downworlder children and then raise a demon army to follow his command.

I don't want to give too much away because it's really something you need to read and discover for yourself, but there were lots more surprises in store for the reader-- for example, the Faerie Queen makes mention that Valentine had used Clary and Jace as science experiments long ago. Now Clary is discovering that she can write out new and powerful runes that no one else even knows, and Jace can fly off buildings completely unharmed and fight off more demons than any other Shadowhunter. It's almost like Valentine tried to turn them into powerful weapons, and they are only now finding out what they are capable of...

I really love how Clary's character develops in this one, and the dynamics that play out between her and Simon, and her and Jace. Yes, it's a love triangle, but it's totally different than any other love triangle out there-- sometimes in disturbing ways, if you know what happened in the first book! But I am like 99% positive that Clary and Jace's "relationship" is going to turn out to be completely different than what it seems to be right now. (Otherwise, um... eeww. Haha.)

If I could change ONE thing about this book, it would be that more took place in the other worlds, like Idris. We hear about them all the time, and I am dying to actually GO there and see what these worlds are like! I do love the Institute but I think the story should move away from New York City for a change and go out into new places-- just a personal thought!

So I am all ready to get into City of Glass now, and can't wait to continue this crazy ride that Cassandra Clare has begun. If you love action and adventure and plot twists that keep you guessing, I would definitely recommend starting this series. Trust me, there is a reason they are so popular!

~Cover Talk~

I love this cover. I think I like it even more than the first-- the colors are just so awesome, I love how Clary's bright red hair stands out against the dark blue backdrop of the city sky, and I just love Clary's pose-- she looks like such a bad-ass Shadowhunter, and this is just the way I would picture her being-- really strong, defiant, and brave. So yes, really fantastic job on this cover!

LC's Rating:

Total awesomeness and totally entertaining. City of Ashes had everything that makes you want to keep reading a book-- action, adventure, crazy plot twists, characters you connect with and a romance you can't help but get caught up in!

Wondrous Strange: Book Review + Giveaway!

Author: Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Wondrous Strange #1
Release Date: September 22, 2009
Pages: 336
Read it in: 3 days
Source: The library

Summary: 17 year-old Kelley Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks... In this fun, urban fantasy, Kelley's off-stage life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s plot twists when a nighttime trip to Central Park holds more than meets the mortal eye.

LC's Take:

OK, can we pretty please first take about 5 minutes to sit and stare at this gorgeous book cover?? **sigh**

Alrighty, moving on!

Wondrous Strange had all the elements of an awesome book-- interesting and likable characters, action-packed plot line, creative world-building,  heart-melting romance and quirky humor. This is the kind of book that I thoroughly enjoy reading, and I've already gone out and picked up the sequel!

Kelly Winslow is a 17-year old aspiring actress, trying to make it big in NYC. As an understudy in a (very) small off-broadway production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, she is struggling just to get by. But after the lead for the part of Queen Titania is injured, Kelly finally has her chance to be in the spotlight-- until a very strange night in Central Park changes her life forever. First, she meets a mysterious boy named Sonny Flannery, who happens to be a changeling from the world of fae who works for King Auboron of the Unseelie Court as a Janus Guard. Then she manages to save a kelpie (which resembles a gigantic horse) from a pond-- only to have the horse-creature reappear in her apartment! As Kelly becomes more and more entangled in the faery world, she learns a long-kept secret about herself and her true identity-- while becoming closer and closer to the changeling boy trying to protect her.

First of all, Kelly was a wonderful, believable main character. She had a head on her shoulders and didn't let anyone lead her around or tell her what to do, which was a welcome change from some of the other ditzy and clueless Mary Sues out there in other YA books. At first she downright refuses to believe in the idea that faeries are actually real and she thinks Sonny is absolutely crazy when he tells her-- probably the reaction we would all have, right?! Her "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude totally won me over, because it seriously annoys me when the main character finds out something completely unbelievable and then unquestioningly accepts it in about 2 minutes. Kelly actually takes awhile before she's convinced, and when she does learn about faeries and how she is a major part of the faery realm, she doesn't flake out, but takes charge of her own destiny. LOVED Kelly!!

Sonny was such a wonderful male character, and I hesitate to call him a "love interest," because he was so much more than that. Genuinely sweet, romantic, and kind-hearted, Sonny was the epitome of dreamy and stood out from many other guys I've read about in YA books. I hate, hate, hate when the male love-interest acts all aloof-- or even worse-- treats the female protagonist badly, while all she does is fawn dotingly over someone who is emotionally abusive (See my rants about the Fallen series for more on that). Sonny and Kelly are thankfully different and also teenage angst-free. Their growing relationship was not only believable, but had me unable to put this book down. And trust me when I say, you will totally fall in love with Sonny like I did!

Wondrous Strange had a really good balance of both urban and fantasy story elements-- the faery and fantasy parts weren't so overdone that people not so into this genre won't like to read it. While the plot centers around faeries, there is not a lot of travel to the faery world, like you would see in a book like The Iron King, and almost everything happens in NYC and Central Park. I thought that there was a perfect blend of being both realistic and whimsical, and this book could definitely be read be many different kinds of readers! Finally, the duel narratives told from both Kelly and Sonny's POVs mixed things up a bit and added a unique twist. Overall, I really loved this book-- if you've had this one sitting on your shelf for awhile, go, go, go and read it!

LC's Rating: 

If you like books about faeries, Wondrous Strange is perfect for you!  More light-hearted than dark, this book was fun to read from beginning to end. You will love Kelly and Sonny, and be caught up in a whimsical story with beautiful world-building. Make sure this one is on your To-Be-Read list!!

Want to win a copy of Wondrous Strange? Enter below!!

• ONE lucky winner will receive their own copy of Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
• Contest ends on October 15, 2011
• Open internationally to wherever The Book Depository ships!

Book Review: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 1, 2010
Pages: 363
Read it in: 4 days
Source: The library

Summary: Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

LC's Take

This book was amazing! Like, I can't even... wow. Just, wow. I totally LOVED it!

You know those books that you start reading, and before you know it, you are just completely and irretrievably being sucked into another world that is so wildly imaginative and intoxicating that you don't want to ever put it down or have it end?

Yeah, that pretty much describes The Iron King by Julie Kagawa.

Now, I have read a couple faery books in the past, neither of them doing all that much for me. Tithe by Holly Black was definitely an awesome book, but it was really dark and somehow lacked something for me. Wicked Lovely was utterly lost on me and made me want to stick needles in my eyes. But this book? Totally different story. Let's talk about why:

First of all, THANK YOU Julie, for writing an intelligent story about faeries that DOES NOT ASSUME that every one of your readers is some expert on faeries and faerie lore. This was my biggest beef with books like Wicked Lovely, because I had NO IDEA what the heck was going on! But The Iron King does an incredibly good job of explaining what's happening and why it's happening, without going overboard with the descriptions. This made it easy and enjoyable to read.

Second, the world-building in this story was fan-freaking-tastic. The fairyland of the Nevernever was vibrant, beautiful, dark and dangerous-- if you read this book, you will be completely sucked into the world of the fey and not want to ever come back! Really, really well done. I loved it. 

The plot started out kind of slow, but once it got going, it was impossible to stop reading. We begin in the human world with Meghan Chase, just a typical teenager who gets picked on a lot in school. Meghan starts seeing strange things at home and at school-- and then her little brother Ethan pretty much turns into a demon-possessed little monster, until she finds out that he has been kidnapped by faeries and replaced by a changeling!

Meghan was an awesome main character and it was never boring reading from her point of view. She was brave, determined, and never suffered from YA-Heroine-Whining-Syndrome. Thank God! She was easy to relate to, and at the same time you can see how she will develop into a strong leader in the next books.

When Meghan finds out from her friend Robbie-- AKA Robin Goodfellow, AKA Puck from A Midsummer's Night Dream-- that Ethan is now a prisoner in the Nevernever, Meghan is bound and determined to go find him and bring him back home. Along the way, she meets many new characters, each more imaginative and unique than the next. Grimalkin, the Cait Sithe? Freaking LOVED him! Grim is a cat-- well, a faery cat-- and he's just as cool as the Cheshire Cat from Alice and Wonderland. Seriously, all of the secondary characters in this book-- right down to the Pack-rats in Machina's territory, were incredible. They were all so real and alive, and had a sort of kooky flair to them that reminded me of a Tim Burton movie.

So anyways, as Meghan searches for her brother in the Nevernever, she soon learns that she is actually the half-daughter of the King of the Summer (Seelie) Court-- thus, she is immune to the effects of iron on faeries, yet she contains a very strong power within her that she must learn to control and use against the new threat to the Nevernever-- Machina, the Iron King and his realm that has been created by the ever-growing human world of science, technology and disbelief in all things magical...

Now let's talk about Ash. You may know from reading my reviews that I am a very hard sell when it comes to love interests in books-- I almost never like them! But Ash-- I don't know what it was about him-- I totally fell for him. Yes, he was the hard-to-get type, and very standoffish, but I really loved him. I think I almost cried towards the end, during that part in the cave... I am hoping that he and Meghan develop a closer relationship in the next books!

The ideas behind the plot of The Iron King were just so original and creative, while also reminding me of some of my favorite stories and movies. The world of the Nevernever was completely entrancing, and the characters were imaginative, vibrant and wonderfully memorable. It was clear that Julie Kagawa put a lot of thought into her story and how she would tell it, right down to the last detail. The emotion, the action, the chemistry, the descriptions, the dialog-- honestly, I don't have anything negative to say about this book and I cannot wait to read the next three in the Iron Fey Series. Julie Kagawa, you have brought back my faith in faery books!

LC's Rating:

This book is a must-read! It was like a mix between Alice in Wonderland, Labyrinth (minus David Bowie), and a bunch of other fairy tale stories from when you were a kid. Totally AWESOME. You need to read this book if you haven't yet-- I am getting started on the rest of this series pronto!

Book Review: Tithe

Author: Holly Black
Release Date: March23, 2004
Pages: 336
Read it in: 1 week (it was a busy week!)

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.

LC's Take: 

Oh man, I loved this book! Despite my past attempts at reading books about fairies, this one knocked my socks right off. Tithe was dark, mysterious, imaginative and edgy. Yes, it deals with some difficult issues like alcoholic parents, sexual abuse, and blood sacrifice, (yeah, that's right) but it also has a beautiful and enchanting side to it-- and both of these sides fit together really well throughout the story.
  
Tithe was definitely a page-turner, not simply because there is a lot of drama, action and suspense going on from beginning to end; but also because the author actually took the time to give you the story background that you need in order to understand what's going on. Let me just say that-- from the perspective of someone who doesn't know much about faery lore and was beyond lost when reading Wicked Lovely-- I practically shouted "Hallajulah!" when Tithe gave me understandable explanations and plot depth-- I wasn't left wondering what on earth was happening, and was thus able to fully engage in the story. This-- added to the great deal that was invested in character development-- made reading this book very enjoyable.

The descriptive language that Holly Black uses is just breathtaking-- I was really impressed by how she uses words to paint very imaginative worlds and characters. In fact, she can  describe a scene out of fairyland just as beautifully as she can describe a scene from a run-down trailer park-- now that takes some talent! Likewise, the characters were fantastic. Kaye was an amazing female protag-- Holly Black knew just how to flesh out her character into a believable, three-dimensional person. Kaye is a girl you can absolutely relate to, because she is far from perfect (I hate flawless, cookie-cutter characters!) and she has been through hell and back-- her tough grittiness makes her appealing as a character because it boldly stands out against all those other wishy-washy, bland, wimpy chicks we seem to see a lot of in today's novels. (Also, she is described as an "Asian blond," and that is totally hott.) Honestly, it takes a lot for me to become truly invested in a main character, but in this case, I was hooked.

My only caveat with this book was that I thought the dialogue in faery-world was at times a little forced (I don't like it when modern books use phrases like "verily I say" or whatever, it just sounds kind of cheesy/contrived to me). But really, that was my one and only little complaint-- and the rest of the dialog flows wonderfully and is very realistic (Side note: There are loads of F-bombs, just so you know, and I am super-happy I'm not the librarian who's gotten this one shaken in their face by some P.O.-ed parent lol). All in all, I give Tithe a high rating and cannot wait to read the next two books in this series!

LC's Rating:

Dark and edgy are the two words I would use to describe Tithe- it's not for the faint of heart! If you can handle the uncensored language and hardcore scenarios, this is an awesome story about fairies that stands out from the rest!

Book Review: Wicked Lovely

Author: Melissa Marr
Release Date: June 12, 2007
Pages: 328
Read it in: 5 days

Praise: "Riveting and dark: I love this tale of a smart, tough girl who walks the razor's edge between an ancient faery curse and her future!" ~Tamora Pierce

Summary: (Goodreads) All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends' obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What's a 21st-century girl to do when she's stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? A debut fantasy romance for the ages; superlative summer read.

LC's Take: 

Sigh... OK, so I really, really wanted to like this book-- I had been so excited to get into the Wicked Lovely series! But honestly-- for whatever reason-- I just could not get hooked. In fact, it almost got (gasp!) DNF-ed. Let me explain:

When I first picked up Wicked Lovely I was pretty excited-- the cover is gorgeous and I'd never read a book focusing exclusively on fairies. However, I have to admit that I had some difficulties with it from the very beginning, simply because it starts right in the middle of the action with very little explanation for what the heck is going on: there's a girl named Aislynn and she's pretty freaked out because she sees faeries everywhere, but she can't tell anyone so she just tries to run away where they can't find her. (Ummm... OK.) Maybe it was so hard to follow because it felt like the author assumed the reader knows all about faeries, or "fey." Well, I don't know anything about faeries so I felt pretty out-of-the-loop for the first 100 pages or so. (They have "glamours?" There are fey courts? They're deathly allergic to iron or something?? Yeeeah, I felt clueless!)

For this reason, I found it kind of difficult to connect with the characters or get into the plot because I had no idea what was going on. The author seems to know a lot about faery lore, but the way she goes about telling the story left me totally confused. The writing seemed very clunky to me, and this made it hard to read quickly because I just couldn't stay focused. And to be completely honest, this just made me kind of bored with the whole book. I mean, if you don't get what's going on, how are you going to maintain interest in it?

There were definitely other issues I had with this book, besides not knowing what was going on throughout the first third of the story:

• I felt like the writing style was somewhat sloppy and it wasn't until around p.160 that I finally could get into the plot a little. Because of this, it was just really difficult to stay interested in what was going on.
• You know those incredibly annoying plot holes that you just can't get over as you're reading a book? Oh wow, there were so many here! One that stood out: One of the number one rules that Aislynn lives by is she can't stare at fairies because they can't know that she can see them. So how is it that the fairies are described down to the last detail from Aislynn's POV all the time? Isn't she supposed to not be looking at them?? Ahh! Logic!
• There wasn't much in the way of character development: Aislynn never had much of a presence in the story. I felt like things just happen to her and she passively reacts-- I couldn't connect with her on an emotional level at all. 
• There were definitely more than a few typos throughout the book which is always a turn-off, because it makes you think that the entire thing was poorly edited. Usually I can pass by a couple typos, but in this case, added to everything else that bothered me, my end impression was that it was just sloppily done. 

To be fair, there were some things that I liked about this book: The snippets from old 18th/19th century books about faery lore, published in Ireland, Scotland and England were very interesting to read at the start of each chapter, and it shows that the author did her research about the subject she's writing on (it just wasn't translated well enough so that I could understand it, too!) Also, Aislynn's love interest Seth? Yum-my haha :)

I don't want to totally knock this book just because I could not connect with it personally-- I think that while it may not be for everyone, there is definitely a reader base that will enjoy Wicked Lovely. I would say that if you love the subject of fairies, or you can follow a plot that isn't completely straight-forward, this may be a great book for you. Unfortunately, I was not a fan, but I know that there are many fans of this series out there-- so it may be worth a shot!

LC's Rating:

If you are into fairies and know a lot about fairy lore before you begin this book, you might be able to get into the story being told. However, if like me you don't know anything about this subject, you might be highly confused about everything going on!

Book Review: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Pages: 352
Read it in: 3 days

The Hook: I see things you can't see. I find things that hunt you. I am your protector. But even I can't protect you now.

Summary: Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophesies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophesy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. 

So much for normal.

LC's Take: 

Oh wow, I really liked this book! I am one of those readers who has to read everything word-for-word in my head in order to follow the story (definitely not a speed reader!) so it takes me longer to get through a book, but even I whipped through Paranormalcy in about 3 days (and that was on top of work, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.). Not too shabby! Paranormalcy kept me interested the whole way through-- the writing style was smart, witty and made me laugh to myself on almost every page.

The main character is Evie, a normal teenage girl despite her ability to see paranormals, and the story is told through her point of view. I swear it was scary how much Evie and I think alike! She is intelligent and ditzy at the same time, which I can totally relate to-- she has a head on her shoulders but she struggles with all the insecurities and embarrassments that go along with being a 16-year old. And for Evie it's even tougher because, you know, her job is to "bag-and-tag" paranormals like vampires, werewolves and hags with a pink taser and bring them back to headquarters for containment. I loved Evie and I'm really glad Kiersten told the story though her eyes-- her sense of humor and ability to make fun of herself were a welcome change from the angsty, emo-types that seem so prevalent in a lot of YA.

The supporting characters added to the lighthearted feel of the book-- Lend is the shape-shifting hottie Evie has a crush on and who really cares about her. Reth is Evie's ex-boyfriend who is also a faerie and takes on the possessive, won't-take-no-for-an-answer stalker-type role. Lish is Evie's best friend (and a mermaid) who works for IPCA and continually gets censored for swearing though the computer that translates her "Mermish" language (hard to explain but it's pretty darn funny).

My opinion? Definitely check this book out! The plot was clever and fast-paced with lots of action. Evie's sense of humor balances the darker parts of the story, and besides she is an awesome kick-butt kind of heroine. There were only two issues I had with this book: one was the secondary characters. They weren't quite as fleshed-out as I would've liked, and Evie's relationships with them were kind of wishy-washy, so it was hard to feel emotional when something happened to them. The other is that I found the cover/back description to be kind of misleading-- if you think this is some dark, Gothic read with lots of serious writing, it's not-- quite the opposite, it's goofy/campy-- in a good way. Other than that, I thought this was a fun and entertaining read. I really haven't seen a bad review for this book yet and am happy to add on with another happy-reader review!

LC's Rating:

A fast-paced, fun read that combines all of your fave paranormal creatures into one clever and creative story-- you won't regret reading this one!!