Lament - Maggie Stiefvater

I won a copy of Maggie Stiefvater's Lament from Jessica's a few months back (ok, this post was originally started in September) and I had started this blog entry when I had finished, but I got a bit behind on posting so you'll be seeing a few "older" reads pop up on here.


Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

I'm going to preface this by telling you that faeries aren't really my thing. The most I've read about faeries would be the small portion dealing with them in the Sookie Stackhouse books and that was too much for me. They just like to play with people way too much and that trait tends to irk me.

I think my biggest issue with the book was how some things just seemed to be known without talking about them. For instance, Dee and Luke were talking and all of a sudden she knows the person he's talking about is the faerie queen. Up until that point, there was absolutely no mention of a queen. There were other things like that that I just couldn't get over.

I also thought it was highly weird and slightly creepy that while Dee is getting sick in the bathroom, a boy just walks in and starts holding her hair and she never questions it.

The book itself wasn't bad though. I really enjoyed the relationship between James and Deirdre and really wish that was more prominent than hers and Luke's relationship, and that is the reason why I will read Ballad. Plus, I liked it enough to want to see where the story goes and I have to absolutely hate a series to quit it.

What's your least favorite creature?

Across the Universe - Beth Revis

One of the books that has gotten a LOT of buzz in the last few months is Across the Universe by Beth Revis. To be honest with you, I'm not much into sci-fi and wasn't sure whether or not I was going to dig it (even though I knew I'd read it eventually). Let this be a lesson to those who don't like to venture out of their comfort reading zone. I loved it.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming. 

First off, let me start by saying that this book has one of the best opening chapters. Not only that but the first SENTENCE is a real grabber and so began my wanting to read more. The writing is fantastic and Beth did a great job of not making it to sci-fi to where it would turn people who don't like it, off.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that just when I was starting to think one thing, something else was introduced that totally threw me. The characters were well done and I liked Amy. There were quite a few times where all I wanted to do was hug her because of everything that was going on.

I'm not really going to say anything more because the book doesn't come out til next month. I WILL tell you that I hope you read this book when you get the chance and come back and tell me what you thought of it.

Princess for Hire - Lindsey Leavitt

After last week's book signing, I wanted to read Lindsey Leavitt's Princess for Hire as soon as possible. This was definitely a quick read but took me a while to finish because I didn't get much reading time in with all the chaos of last week.

Desi is a girl who feels like vapor. Her ex-best friend, Celeste, is bent on making her life miserable and what's worse, Desi's crush Hayden is dating Celeste.

After a bad day at work, Desi goes home and wishes for help and out of a bubble comes Meredith. Meredith is an agent for Facade, a princess substitute agency that allows princesses to take a break from their lives while their stand-in goes about their everyday routine.

Desi has longed for something like this and immediately signs up. She soon learns that royalty is not all it's cracked up to be and her heart leads her to make decisions while subbing that the agency is not too fond of. Will Desi be able to continue being a sub or will her desire for impact cause her to go back to her regular life feeling like vapor?

I thought this book was absolutely adorable! Yes, it was more for the younger side of YA readers but that didn't matter to me. This book was just fun and I think any girl who ever had a wish to be a princess when she was younger (or even now) will really enjoy it.

I really understood Desi's desire to make an impact. She wanted to make things better for the princesses she was subbing for and ended up doing for them, what they could never do for themselves. She also gained something for herself that she lacked in her normal life: confidence.

I can totally see this book becoming a Disney movie in the future and since they're the publishing company, I have faith that they would do it justice and I would watch it in a heartbeat.

This was a great debut novel from Lindsey and I cannot wait to read more from her. I see tons of success in her future, not only because she is talented but because she is such a sweet person and deserves it.

This was book #4 in the 2010 Debut Author's Challenge

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

Well it's official. I am done reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and it makes me sad. I loved The Last Olympian but I am not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

The Titan Kronos is planning an attack to take over Olympus and the time is almost near. With the gods off fighting monster Typhon, Olympus is left unprotected and Kronos's army advances on New York City, and ultimately, Olympus.

Percy and the rest of the campers at Camp Half-Blood must protect the city when the gods do not take Percy's claim seriously and with his sixteenth birthday only days away, Percy knows the Great Prophecy is about to come true. Is he really the one whose decision will decide the fate of the gods? Will Kronos be able to be stopped before it's too late?

There is just something about this series that just makes me want more and after talking to Leah, I found out that I'm not the only one that feels this way. We both agreed that while waiting to read The Last Olympian, we couldn't think about anything other than reading this book. Currently, I am reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham, and Cut by Patricia McCormick but all I could think about while reading these was that I needed to know what happened to Percy and friends and I couldn't wait any longer.

I really hope Riordan decides to publish more books that follow Percy into the next stage of his life. The ending did wrap the series up, but it also left a perfect in to another series. In the meantime, I plan on getting my hands on a copy of The Demigod Files so the fun, action-packed, mythological ride won't be over just yet.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Something is coming and it's only a matter of time. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, the people of Camp Half-Blood are worried about a possible invasion from former camper Luke and his cronies whose goal is to resurrect the evil Kronos. Although the camp boundary is protected by the golden fleece, Percy and Annabeth accidentally stumble upon an entrance to Daedalus's labyrinth and soon they realize this is how Luke is planning on invading the camp. Percy and his friends must go on a quest to find Daedalus and try to persuade him not to team up with the other side. However, navigating the labyrinth can be tricky because the maze changes and people who go in, are not guaranteed to come back out the same.

It's no secret that I have been liking the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. These books are just quick, fun reads that I cannot seem to get enough of. There seems to be so much stuff going on, but with the way Riordan writes it, it's not overwhelming and it just works. It's not difficult to envision what is going on and I only wish that future movies stay true to the book because they could be fantastic.

Although I only have one book left to read of this series (sad!) I cannot wait to see what happens next to Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, and even newcomer Rachel.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

The time has finally come for my opinion of Hex Hall and I honestly cannot say enough great things about it. It's only officially been out since Tuesday but if you haven't already acquired a copy, do so now. Seriously, what are you waiting for?! GO!

Sixteen year old Sophie Mercer is a witch and after a love spell gone wrong, she lands herself in Hecate Hall for two years, a reform school in Georgia for prodigium that have put humans at risk.

Things don't go too well for Sophie at Hecate, not only is her roommate and new best friend, Jenna, the sole vampire student and pariah, but she manages to piss off the three resident dark witches. What makes life even more complicated is that Sophie falls for Archer, boyfriend to head mean girl, Elodie.

Before long, things start happening at Hecate and Jenna is the one accused of everything. In order to help clear her friend's name, Sophie begins digging for information and ends up getting answers to her own personal questions like: Why has she never met her father? Why is she an outcast among outcasts? Why do people want her dead?

I think part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was that it wasn't difficult to emerge myself in Sophie's world. Partly because this book was so well written but also because I share some of the same background as Sophie.

I was always the new girl in school and I totally identified with the part where she says that people aren't really mean to her, they just ignore her. That sums up what high school was for me. Also, Sophie moved around a lot and I literally chuckled out loud when the two states that were mentioned in the same breath were Arizona and Texas, because you guessed it, I lived in both places. By the time I was fourteen I had moved fifteen times so I really knew what she felt like, especially the part about living somewhere for four years being the longest she had lived anywhere. Again, that was me. I lived in a small Arizona town for four years starting when I was nine and it was a shock to me going to the same school for more than a year. When I moved to Alabama from Arizona I felt exactly like she did when she said the heat is different and the humidity is so bad it feels like mildew is growing on your skin.

Enough of my history, back to the book. One of my favorite things about Hex Hall was the humor and wit. Anyone who can reference pop culture this way gets a mega gold star in my book. I thought I saw where the story was going to go and I was right on one account but was shocked by the curve ball Rachel threw in there and I had to put my book down for a few seconds to process. I love when that happens.

I loved this book and am whoring it out to everyone who will listen because it's just plain awesome as is the author (my mom even bought a copy today) and I hated when I got to the last page because I want to know now what's going to happen next. I can't wait until book 2 comes out!

I may even go buy another copy sometime so I can have a giveaway :-)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan

OK, so I know I said I was going to drop everything to read Hex Hall but I changed my mind since I was 3/4 of the way through Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse.

The Titan's Curse finds Percy, along with Thalia and Annabeth, rushing to Grover's side to return to the two half-bloods he has found, back to Camp Half-Blood. Before they are able to leave, the group is surrounded, a fight ensues and ends with Artemis and her Huntresses jumping in to help them out. Unfortunately, when the monsters retreat, Annabeth disappears along with them.

Upon returning to Camp Half-Blood, Artemis decides to go on the hunt for the monster that is rare and so powerful it can bring down all of Olympus. Later, the Oracle reveals that Artemis must be rescued and that two of the five who go on the quest will perish. The huntresses must find Artemis before the Winter Solstice because she holds a swaying vote in Olympus on the upcoming war and Percy is determined to find Annabeth before it's too late.

So far, this has been my favorite book of the series. The characters are a little more mature due to what they've had to deal with and with the possibility of an upcoming war. Like the best of heros, Percy learns that the people he cares for most is his fatal flaw and his enemies know he'll do anything to protect his loved ones. When the time comes, can he put his duty before his loyalty or will the prophecy come true?

Although a small part, I loved Apollo. His addition to the story helped to lighten it up with his love of bad haiku's. Zoe Nightshade was another character that I enjoyed, when she was talking about her past, I felt a little sorry for her and could feel her pain.

There is quite a bit that went on in this book but Riordan's introductions into each event was seamless and the pictures he painted were vivid in my mind. I can't wait until I start book four, The Battle of the Labyrinth.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan

When it comes to a book series, I really like to pick the next book up as soon as I put the one I just finished down. Sometimes it's super easy and other times it feels like a daunting task, however, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has fallen into the former category.

These books are such easy, fast reads but I find them quite entertaining and I had to make sure I picked up the fourth book today so I would have it upon completion of The Titan's Curse.

In book two, The Sea of Monsters, Percy finds himself in yet another boarding school and other than being made fun of for being friends with Tyson, a huge homeless kid who is a little slower than everyone else, the year has been relatively quite.

With Annabeth's arrival, Percy soon learns that Camp Half-Blood is in trouble and that Chiron has been removed as activities director with accusations of poisoning the tree that provides the magical boarders around camp.

On top of all of this, Percy has been having dreams about Grover who is in trouble and needs rescuing. In order to save the camp from being overtaken by monsters and his close friend from death, Percy must go to the Sea of Monsters to retrieve both his friend and the healing Golden Fleece. It's a race against time to save his best friend AND get the Golden Fleece to Camp Half-Blood.

Besides the mythological aspect, I think a big part of what I like about this series is that there is a continuous story, the bigger picture, but there are also various smaller stories that give you satisfaction for having a start and an end. I like how each book has had its own "right now" opponent but that it's not just peppered in as filler.

I also like the fact that each book seems to introduce you to a new god or two and they're like the frontrunner for that book. We met more in The Lightning Thief than we did in The Sea of Monsters but it's nice not to just have them all dumped on you from the get go.

I've already started book 4 so look for that in the next few days as well as Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

So as you can tell, I've kind of been MIA around here the last week. We moved last week and it has been quite hectic since and even though we've been here since Tuesday, we're just now spending the night in the house. It doesn't quite feel like home and I'm kind of depressed. I really hope this feeling goes away soon. Anyway, I wanted to get my review of The Lightning Thief posted before too long and before procrastination sunk in.

In anticipation of the movie based on Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I decided that no matter what I was going to read the book before seeing the movie. My husband and I went last weekend and although the movie was enjoyable, this is yet another case where the book was a lot better.

The Lightning Thief follows twelve year old Perseus (Percy) Jackson as he learns that everything he's been learning about in his mythology class is not just a myth. After Percy is accused of stealing Zeus's master bolt, he is taken to Camp Half-Blood to hone his skills and learn about this new life and his father. A prophecy sends him on a quest with his two friends, Grover and Annabeth, to retrieve the bolt and if it is not returned by the summer solstice then war will break out in Olympus.

As many will say, this book reminds them of the Harry Potter series and although that rings true, it wasn't to the point where I couldn't finish a chapter without thinking, "Well that's not what Harry would have done," or something similar. I picked this book up expecting similarities because of the synopsis I had read so it didn't take anything away from the book.

I think part of the reason I liked this book so much is because I enjoy mythology. I took a mythology class my freshman year of high school (I actually came across the paperback I used in the class while moving) and was thoroughly interested in the subject matter. I will say this about the movie, the visual effects were fantastic but some of the storyline was changed and it just left me slightly irked.

Look for a few more updates coming tomorrow morning or afternoon.

Waiting on Wednesday - Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick for this week's Waiting on Wednesday is Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. Not only does she seem like a great person who I would like to support, but the book itself seems like something I would really enjoy. I absolutely LOVE the cover of Hex Hall. I knew what the cover looked like, but a few days ago I was reading Rachel's blog and she posted a picture of Hex Hall on her bookshelf at home and I thought to myself, "that looks like a short book." That's when I realized that she did not have a mirror underneath her book (and yes, I'm aware that the reflection on the book is a different look for the girl). Afterwards, I felt slightly stupid but since I usually own my stupidness, there it is for everyone.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins releases on March 2, 2010

From Goodreads:

When Sophie Mercer turned thirteen, she discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-Gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hecate Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward prodigium, a.k.a. witches, fae, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard. Three powerful enemies who look like supermodels; a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock; a creepy, tag-along ghost; and a new roommate, who happens to be the most-hated person and only vampire on campus. Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her friend Jenna is the number one suspect. Meanwhile, Sophie has a more personal shock to grapple with. Not only is her father the head of the prodigium council, he's the most powerful warlock in the world, and Sophie is his heir. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all prodigium, especially her.

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

After hearing Becca, a fellow NBCer rave about this book called Shiver, I decided to add it to my Christmas wishlist. Then after seeing the author, Maggie Stiefvater, write on Becca's facebook wall I thought to myself that I really needed to read it now because the author just seemed so awesome. Christmas came and I didn't get the book but I did go to Books-A-Million's after Christmas sale and picked it up.

First I want to say that the writing was amazing and I loved how Maggie flipped back and forth between the two main characters point-of-view. This is also the first book that I've read recently that didn't have any misspellings. That gets major points in my book. If it did though, I was so captivated by the story that I didn't even notice.

Shiver takes place in Mercy Falls. Grace is a high school girl who was bitten by wolves six years earlier and has since become obsessed with the wolf that saved her. I mean, obsessed. She spends her winters waiting for a glimpse of him and even comes close enough to touch him at one point. Her obsession is a little..weird at first because she's so enamored with him that she takes to sleeping with the sweater she was wearing when she had contact with him because it smells like him.

Anyway, Grace soon finds out that her wolf, the one with the yellow eyes who saved her all those years ago, is actually a boy who is a shape-shifter. Sam's form depends solely on the temperature, turning into a wolf when it's cold outside. Even knowing his secret, Grace loves him, although it doesn't hurt that he's a hot, sweet, smart, emo, poetry loving, lyric writing, guitar playing guy.

Sam fears the cold because that means the change is coming, and this time it's different, this time it's his last change. He's loved Grace since the day he saved her and can't bear the thought of leaving her. Sam tries to prolong the time before he shifts and spends every moment possible with Grace. Shiver is a love story and a good one at that. It's so terribly sweet and it even made my eyes well with tears because of it.

If you're looking for a book to read, this is it. The story is great, the writing is wonderful, and I absolutely loved getting to know Sam and Grace. Even the weirdness didn't seem so weird to me after a while. I can already see myself reading this book over and over.

I cannot wait until Linger comes out in July.