Book Review: The Iron Daughter, Julie Kagawa

• Reading level:       Young Adult
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• Hardcover:            389 pages
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• Publisher:             Harlequin Teen, August 1, 2010
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Parasols:         4

When we last left Meghan Chase, she was brought to the Winter Court by Prince Ash and was being held by Queen Mab.  But all is not what it seems in the Winter Court.  Prince Ash has been avoiding Meghan, Queen Mab has bound her powers and Grimalkin is nowhere to be seen.  Meghan hasn't a clue if Puck is alive or dead.

I completely forgot to review my copy of The Iron King and I donated my copy of the book to my local library because they couldn't get a copy and I wanted in the hands of as many people.  But I digress.  By the time I realized that I hadn't written a review, I couldn't remember the major points of the book.  Thankfully,  reading The Iron Daughter, I remembered enough that I could pick up where it ended.

One thing that really jumped at me was the cohesiveness of the writing.  Julie has grown leaps and bounds from her first book to the second.  Now, I'm not saying that book one wasn't written well, but I think she understood what the deal was and her writing was cleaner and pitch perfect.  The world she creates in Winter and in the between is brilliantly acknowledged.  I enjoyed her characters in this book.  I liked Meghan in this book.   One of my favorite characters is Leanansidhe.  She reminds me of someone from the 20's with the cigarette.  

Another character I really grew to love is Ironhorse.  This is the only  time I will allow all caps in a story.  I understood why it was done.  There are weird alliances in this book, and I liked it.  I just liked everything about this story.  The Iron Fey, the gremlins, the psuedo-relationships, etc.

I'm a reviewer who is also torn between Team Puck or Team Ash.  In the first book, Ash annoyed me.  I was all Team Puck, but in this book, they both grew on me.  Although Ash is still standoffish, he softens a bit.  Puck is just adorable and funny and brave and strong and everything I could possible want in a friend and lover.   So there is my dilemma, perhaps it will be answered in The Iron Queen, who knows?

I highly recommend this second installment in the Iron Fey series.  I don't want to give away too much, but there is treason, anarchy and lots of icky Iron fey.  I'm definitely looking forward to the The Iron Queen.

The Young Adult World Lost a Shining Star Today

Lisa (LK) Madigan passed away today and I can't even put into words how upsetting this is. She was around my age and a brilliant author. Her Flash Burnout, her debut won the William C. Morris Award in 2010. We found out about after ALA MW in Boston.

I had just request that book from the library the day that Lisa announced that she was in stage IV pancreatic cancer. Something brought me to this book. It's sitting beside me as I type this. Tears are pouring down my face because even though I hadn't met Lisa, she touched me in her blog posts, her twitterings and her livejournal posts.

My heart goes out to her family, her friends and her fans. Of which I am one.

Winner of Signed Eyes Like Stars!!!!

The random Gods have spoken and the winner is

MANNA B!!! 

Manna if you could send me an e-mail with your address I will pass it on the the publicists who mail the book out for you! You can find my e-mail under contact me!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Last Chance to win SIGNED copy of Eyes Like Stars!

Okay people, this is the last chance to enter to win a copy of Eyes Like Stars signed by the great Lisa Mantchev.

Just leave a comment here.  This will be mailed out by the publisher, so I am only picking a winner.  The randomizer Gods will pick the winner tomorrow at 6pm (February 23, 2011).  Enter to win this fantastic book!

Jane Eyre Check In #3

Welcome to the third week of Jane Eyre Check In!  I have not read the book in about a week!  I'm feeling overwhelmed with the books that I am reading and I'm just not built to read more than one book at a time.  Thankfully, this is school vacation week, so I'm hoping to get some serious Jane Eyre reading in.  I really suck as a hostess, and for that, I'm sorry.

But I hope everyone else is still reading or at least looking at the cover from time to time.  Seeing as I've read this book before, why don't you tell me where you are in the book, what you like and dislike about it.  I'm curious to hear people's thoughts.  

I'd like to bring up another Bronte.  One who is not quite as well read as Emily and Charlotte, that would be Anne Bronte.  I've read her Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey.  Both exquisite books.  I've always preferred Anne's writing to Emily's and even Charlotte's.  For a book that was written in the 1850's Bronte's Tenant is a feminist book.  Girl Power before we even knew what that meant.  Just something to get you thinking.

Book Review: Clarity, Kim Harrington

Reading Level:     Young Adult

Hardcover:            242 Pages

Publisher:             Point/ Scholastic, Inc

Parasols:               4

In sleepy Eastport, MA, situated on posh Cape Cod, nothing good ever happens.  You have your basic summer tourist and your boring locals who await for the summer tourists to go back home.  Except for the Ferns.  They live for the summer crowds to read fortunes, show them past loves lost, Readings By The Fern Family.   What the locals consider a family of freaks.

Clarity "Clare" Fern is pychic, Starla "mom" Fern, is a telepath and Periwinkle "Perry" Fern is a medium.  So when the sleepy town is rocked by a murder and the addition of another "Psychic" things for Clare gets quite muddy.  Enter gorgeous Gabriel Toscano and his father, a former NYC detective and ex-boyfriend still pining for Clare, and you have one big mudfest.

Reading a book by an author that you know and talk to, and meet up with and are considered friends with is difficult.  On one hand you want to be fair and honest, but yet you don't want to upset the balance of the friendship.  It's a slippery slope that I feel most bloggers feel.

However, Kim really has nothing to worry about (thought I'd make her sweat it out :)), this book is very entertaining, an easy read and well written.  Her humor that I've witnessed first hand shines through the story. Clare is a great protag who makes mistakes.  She's not perfect, she gets in trouble with her mother.  Cares a lot for her brother and is concerned when the murdered girl was last seen with her playboy brother.  Clare teams up with Gabriel to help his dad solve the crime.  However, the senior Toscano doesn't believe the hocus pocus with which Clare can help solve crimes (Psychometry).  Clare can touch things and see what had happened.

I was literally at the edge of my seat toward the third act of the story.  It was fast paced, Kim planted red herrings after red herrings to throw people off the scent and it all worked well.  

I have to mention Justin Spellman, the ex still pining for Clare.  I like him.  He's a good kid who made a mistake and because of Clare's specialty, he got busted.  I'm torn between a Clare/Justin hook up or Gabriel/Clare hook up.  Darn you, Kim!  We just go the title to the next book in the series, Perception.  Which I think is a great title and in keeping with the theme of the books!  

For those of you who are local (Massachusetts) Kim Harrington will be signing copies of her book during the launch of her debut novel.  Here are the details:

Tatnuck Booksellers

Rt 9 & Lyman Streets

Westborough, MA

March 5, 2011

1pm - 3pm

Cover Reveal: So Silver Bright

You know when I  posted my  partial reveal on Monday, I completely forgot to mention that I am giving away a signed copy of the brilliantly original Eyes Like Stars.  So here, post here that you adore the cover (which I know you will) and I'll enter you into the contest.  It's really easy peasy.  I'm all about doing things easy.  So without out further ado:

I am so happy that I've been asked to do this and feel honored to have been asked.  I've been a big fan of Lisa's books for a few years now and I, too, am so excited for this book.  But I'm sad that it's the end too.  I love Bertie and Nate and Ariel!

I really need to give a hand to Jason Chan who designed all of the books for Lisa.  She has been so lucky with the illustrator.  I hope he does more covers especially for Lisa. And just a little shout out to Sugarbean and TinyDoom!  I think they've highly influenced Lisa so much! :)

400 Followers Contest

Just a reminder that I have this contest going on I am currently at 360 people:



You know, I've been stuck on 350 followers for a while.  Now I could do a contest to get more people to come and play in my playground.  But I don't really have anything to offer.

Wait, I think I take that back.  I have an advance copy of Bree Despain's The Lost Saint.  So If I can hit 400 followers and you comment under this post.  You'll be entered to win the copy.  Just remember that you have to comment under this post.

I'll leave this contest open until Sunday, February 13, and pick a winner during that week.

Please note that this contest is US/CA only.

Jane Eyre Check In #2 (Late)

I'm sorry I'm a day late with this.  Yesterday was just a scatterbrained day with it being Anti-Valentines day and such!  But here I am with check in #2 to say that I pitifully fell behind in my reading.  I'm still at Lowood Institution and Jane has not yet been humiliated.  But she has met the bookish Helen.

Where are you in your reading of Jane Eyre?  I hope to get some reading in this week.  I seem to be trying to read five books at once and I can't do that!

So Silver Bright cover: Fragment 1

Bertie thinks her quest is almost done. With the help of Ariel and the rest of her friends, she has managed to find her father and rescue the kidnapped pirate, Nate, from Sedna the sea goddess. Now all she has to do is reunite her father, The Scrimshander, with her mother, Ophelia, and she will finally have a true family of her own.  However, things are never easy for Beatrice Shakespeare Smith. Her father has vanished, Sedna is out for revenge, her own actions have trapped the Theatre Illuminata, the only home she’s ever known, into a strange kind of limbo, and the stress of her in-between state is tearing apart the fragile threads of her mother’s sanity. Bertie’s best hope for salvaging the situation may lie in the summons by Her Gracious Majesty, Queen of the Distant Castle and hope of winning the magical boon given to the most pleasing performance. Bertie is caught between her growing responsibilities to home and family and the dream of flying free, just as her heart is torn between her two loves, Ariel and Nate. With so many forces pulling on her, how will Bertie be able to choose which wish to make come true?


I am so excited for this book!  Lisa Mantchev is awesome and again, I can't wait to read the final!  There will be other bloggers who are revealing bits of this book during the week.  Here is the list so you can see each piece!

Monday 2/14 Fragment One

http://www.princessbookie.com/

http://www.pageturnersblog.com/

http://laurasreviewbookshelf.blogspot.com/

http://www.fantasticbookreview.com/

http://onthenightstand.net/

Tuesday 2/15 Fragment 2

http://bibliophiles-journal.blogspot.com/

http://abookwormshaven.com/

http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/

thecozyreader.com

http://writeforareader.blogspot.com

Wednesday 2/16 Fragment 3

http://www.storiesandsweeties.com/

http://thekams.wordpress.com/

http://www.superreadergirl.com/

Karissabooks.blogspot.com

http://mypileofbooks.blogspot.com/

http://vampsweresandcassay.blogspot.com/

Thursday 2/17 Fragment 4

http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/

www.yabliss.com

http://foreveryoungadult.blogspot.com/

Laura's Review Bookshelf: Jane Eyre Check in #1

Laura's Review Bookshelf: Jane Eyre Check in #1

http://lynne-booknotes.blogspot.com/2011/02/impressions-jane-eyre-post-1.html

http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2011/02/jane-eyre-read-long-check-in-1.html

In which I grump about Valentines Day!

I really do not like this day.  It's not because I don't have a valentine, I do.  I try to get something for my girls.  Chocolates or a small toy for the little one.  But goodness, how many single people dread this day.  When I was single, I hated this day.  It makes you feel insignificant and useless.  And can I really complain about the stupid Hallmark (tm) cards?

They really are quite sickening and just ridiculously written.  Sappy even.  I don't think I'm the only person who feels this way.  I hope I'm not the only person who feels way.  In fact, red doesn't even remotely look good on me!  And when I see a guy wear a tie that is filled with pink, purple hearts, I want to wretch!

I was wondering about doing an anti-valentines day.  I think reading Jane Eyre is an anti-valentines day book.    Maybe a zombie book where they just eat brains of people who are in love? (just kidding!)  Are there other people out there who just really dread this silly day as much as I do?  Am I being ridiculous?  

Jane Eyre Check in #1

So how is everyone's reading of Jane Eyre going?  Mine is going slow.  I'm only on Chapter 5.  Jane has finally left the horrible Gateshead and has started her schooling at Lowood Institution.  A couple of things:

Is there any literary character that is as horrible as Aunt Reed and John Reed?  I know Mrs Norris from Mansfield Park is dreadful, but Aunt Reed is right up there with her.  There is absolutely no redeeming character with her.  She is vain and treats her husband's sister daughter terrible.  One must wonder how Jane was treated when Uncle Reed was alive.  I find myself getting so angry with those characters and when Jane finally voices her opinion and states quite rightly that she is not deceitful, you just want to stand up and cheer!

Jane finally finds some comfort in Bessie, but alas, it is short lived.

Where is everyone else in their read of Jane Eyre?  What are your thoughts so far?  What do you think of the way that Jane is treated early on.  And what is it about that red room!

Jane Eyre Readathon!

I know I'm hopelessly late with this, but it is the first of the month and well the Jane Eyre Readathon commences.  Please feel free to read at your own leisure.  I know I am.  Our first check-in will be on February 7 (Monday).  I'll post where I am in the book and my thoughts on it so far.

I've only read one chapter today so far, but I'm still feeling the effects of the flu so hopefully, this will end soon.  I cannot wait to dive right in!

Enjoy the readathon!