Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica #2
borrowed from a Book Lover (Co-Worker)

This series has been my favourite books of the year. #2 did not disappoint. At first though I was really frustrated with Jessica, she was whiny and weak. But when the change happened it made me really happy. The way it happened was so well written and felt natural.

Mindy was a surprise to, she was so annoying. I never really enjoyed her as a character. Until this book. She really came alive in this book for me. I enjoyed her train of thoughts, especially the haircutting scene.

I am putting the entire series on my must buy list, cause I will definitely be reading these ones over and over!

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices #2
borrowed from Book Lover (A Co-Worker)

I started this Friday night and finished it before two on Saturday. It's a five hundred page suck you in read. I am pretty glad I read most of this at home, because just randomly bursting into laughter while on the train causes people to give you very strange looks!

"Did he tell you of his goals?" Will interrupted. "Of the ultimate purpose of the club?"
"The destruction of all Shadowhunters," said Scott. "I rather thought though you knew that. It isn't a gardening club."

We met Werewolves in this book. I love werewolves! Oh and Magnus Bane, he is actually in the Mortal Instruments books, because he is a Warlock and they live forever! I liked getting background on Magnus. He is a very interesting fellow.
Jessamine was a surprise in this book. I really dislike her. I did not expect that type of ending with her. I knew she was a horribly spoiled girl but WOW.
Will secret is very interesting and I want to say I was disappointed with the ending of it. But I am not, all questions were answer just in a way I won't have gone but makes perfect sense in the character.

She couldn't have been named something awful, could she, like mildred. He couldn't imagine lying awake at night, staring up at the ceiling while invisible voices whispered "Mildred" in his ears.

Jem actually isn't as favoured in this book for me. Will won out. But I am happy with how Tessa handled things. And it that isn't cryptic I don't know what is! I am so sad that Clockwork Princess isn't coming out until 2013!
But here is another favourite quote!

Will looked at him in puzzlement. "is this a game? We just blurt out whatever word comes next to mind? In that case mines 'genuphobia.' It means an unreasonable fear of knees."
"What's the word for a perfectly reasonable fear of annoying idiots?" inquired Jessamine.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices #1
borrowed from Book Lover (A Co-Worker)

I totally have to reread the Mortal Instruments now! I had forgotten how good Clare's stories were/are. It's not your typical vampire story. You have vampires, BUT you also have angels, demons, warlocks, faeries, shapeshifters, and automatons!

I want to start with Charlotte!
This woman is amazing! At twenty-three she is running the London Clave Institution, a full household including four unruly teenagers and a husband. She is under massive pressure from the clave members and still manages to be a bad ass fighter (and strategist)! She has one line in the entire five hundred pages that could you say is a minor compliant but than apologizes for it within the same breath! I have no idea how she stays so strong or how she even became the way she is.
Henry is Charlotte's husband... what I wanted to write is "what I remember of him, he is a a well known and respected inventor. But he sure didn't start that way." But than I realized that I am getting the characters from The Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices Mixed up. Clockwork Angel starts in London, April 1878. There's no way that those characters are still alive in the Mortal Instruments (another reason to reread them!). But back to Henry, he reminds me of when Mr. is FOCUSED!!
Jessamine, I assumed would be just like Isabelle Lightwood. But she totally wasn't she was so immature and it frustrated me she didn't want to fight. All she wanted was the thing I despise. But I would LOVE to go shopping with her!

My favourite characters
Will, Jem, and Tessa!
but I am not going to write about them, instead I will share my favourite lines from them!!

"I want to be back before dark," Will said. He was leaning nearly across Tessa's lap, and she could smell that faint boy-smell of leather and metal that seemed to cling to his hair and skin. "I have an assignation in Soho this evening with a certain attractive someone."
"Goodness," Tessa said to the back of his head. "if you keep seeing Six-Fingered Nigel like this, he'll expect you to declare your intentions."
Jem choked on his tea.

oh and I can't believe one if the characters offers to another at the end. what a dreadful thing to say to a lady. especially in the 1800s

Daughter of the Sea by Mira Zamin

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, did a post December 30 called EBook Deals! Through that I found 

While I didn't exactly read the synopsis on Daughter of the Sea, I did not expect how this book turned out. I was reading along and suddenly it felt like the author decided she didn't like that story arc so she threw them in the ocean and they landed on Altantis. It felt totally out of place and I was frustrated about it that I had a hard time returning to the story. But I did

Boy am I glad I did, because in the end the story wrapped up way better than I could have imagined. I think this is one of my new favourites!!

Engaged against her will, Calista, a young Roman aristocrat, grapples with the annihilation of her world at the hands of her would-be husband. The violent aftermath uncovers a connection to the mythological land of Atlantis, shattering Calista’s conception of family, the gods—and herself.


Calista does not know why the sea sings in her veins—or why her parents have affianced her to the insidious Lord Avaritus. She watches, powerless, as he ruthlessly annihilates all she loves.

When Calista tries escape with the remnants of her family, a storm strikes their vessel and Calista is hurled overboard. She reemerges in Atlantis, summoned by the leaders of the undersea domain. The very fiber of her identity shudders after she learns that she is the daughter of Neptune—and not quite mortal.

Despite the manipulation of Atlantis’s leaders and the romantic temptations of a pair of smirking grey eyes, Calista must find a way to return to Portus Tarrus to rescue her family and seek revenge against the man who destroyed everything she held dear.

Beth Fantaskey

The Wedding of Antanasia Jessica Packwood and Lucius Valeriu Vladescu

GUSH!

The first book is my favorite book so far for 2012! So reading about their wedding, something you never get out books was SO WONDERFUL!! Like Cinderella you get the whirl wind but never see the actual wedding!

The best part is you can read it online for free with pictures of the beautiful castle (exactly like I pictures it), the dress (not the exact way I would have pictured it but beautiful none-the-less), and the rings! It’s a simple easy read that would probably take picture 20 minutes and the only thing it covers is the wedding!

La sigh.. find the first than read it!!! It’s so good!

Sweets and Hearts

January (GOAL 10 books)
1. Replication by Jill Williamson (NetGalley)
2. The Poison Diaries, (part one mini review) by Maryrose Wood (EReader)
3. Entwined by Heather Dixon (EReader)
4. Alias Dragonfly by Jane Singer (Kindle)
5. The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kade Cross (Kindle)
6. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (Co-worker)
7. Another Jekyll, Another Hyde (#3 Another Series) by Daniel Nayeri, Dina Nayeri (EReader)
8. Double Dare by Rhonda Nelson (Kindle)
9. The Emerald Talisman (Talisman #1) by Brenda Pandos (Kindle)
10. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (Kindle)
11. The Shunning by Beverly Lewis (OWN)
12. The Missing by Beverly Lewis (OWN)
13. The Soulkeepers y G.P. Ching (Kindle)


I BET MY GOAL OF TEN BOOKS!! That is pretty awesome!

On the bad side though... I bough The Shunning and The Missing plus three other books. Technically the sale I got them on it was buy one get one free (and they were 9 BUCKS!) and the five was for $2.99. so it doesn't count, right?

right???

:)

Mr. thinks it counts as seven... I told him he was gonna fail math at this rate!

The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, did a post December 30 called EBook Deals! Through that I found

The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching

The beginning of this books is very dramatic, I almost stopped reading because it was graphic and I am not a fan of death or the like. But it was well done.

Christianity and fantasy is an interesting combination. Usually I don't mind the mix (my favorite books is the Chronicles of Narnia), but when it's done in this time frame, it just didn't work. The world Jacob lives in is the same as the one I live in, so adding fantasy characters just felt unrealistic. Yet at the sametime I enjoyed the story.

I find it hard to believe this is a series, it felt very complete at the end. But I can't write a review like the one I found on Amazon read the one by Laura!

The Missing by Beverly Lewis

I grabbed The Missing by Beverly Lewis originally thinking it was the second book the Shunning. However I have discovered it is not and I have never actually read this book before. It is the second book of another series called the Seasons of Grace by Lewis. So I started reading this series feeling like I was missing out half the story, turns out I was.

That said, the story of young Grace is still really good. Though I loved Heather's part of it and I enjoyed the ending! (also makes me glad that I grabbed the third book of this series)

I hope the first book is all about Grace's mother cause that would be a fascinating story!

The only real thing I noted down while reading the story is. That at first I like Becky but then I started to realize that all she cared about was being courted and getting married. That she didn't really care or try to understand her friends circumstances. But even that was eventually cleared up.

The thing I like about Lewis' books is that things are always wrapped up by the ending, unlike allot of books now-a-days.

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

I have come to the realization that I need to come to terms with my past. I need to put behind me, my anger and discover what I feel about my parents god and changing beliefs. And to do that I need to study and have a better understanding of the things I was taught. Allot of the things I was taught I have choosen to forget or remove from my memory and now I will be slowly investigating those memories. I can't quite dive in and start with reading the bible, but I will get there one day, hopefully as my anger changes to understanding. I might not understand their reasoning but I want to understand... the logic I suppose.

To start this journey, I have picked up many of the heavy christian books I read as a child/teenager. Starting with one story that has been in the back of my head for years. The story of Katie Lapp in The Shunning by Beverly Lewis.

While I didn't fully grow up in a community like Katie, I did spend many of my years in a similar culture. And I remember reading this book, thinking about how I would one day get out and be free. I can still very much relate to Katie now, but I am more curious about the woman she becomes than who she was before. I hope the next book explores that.

My favorite line in the entire book was yesterday's teaser tuesday! But I am posting it again because it's just entertaining

"Besides, he'd probably gotten himself invited to a Mennonite Bible study or prayer meeting somewhere. The Mennonites were known for seeking out the truths of God's Word and many of them ended up becoming missionaries.
At the time, Katie figured Dan had encountered some Bible-thumpers, that was all. But she hoped he'd be careful about his affiliation with outsiders. Especially Mennonites"

said like missionaries are a bad thing! :)

I think John Beiler doesn't actually want Katie for Katie. The first time you read from his perspective he is thinking about sleeping with her, not pure Amish thoughts. He thinks nothing of her feelings or how she thinks only of his own satisfaction and his children having a mother. I think that even in the end, when they speak their last words he is still thinking of only his pleasure and not what she feels. A man should at least listen, even if they don't agree.

"Marrying John Beiler-putting him first-maybe that was the answer. Maybe that was why Mary had insisted that this marriage was suppose to be"

gosh, maybe Mary should just marry John... though I must admit Mary has some spunk!

Elam was my least favorite character, rash stupid man, with no brains to think for himself.

"You must try and stay in Jesus. Elam's words echoed in her mind. But the logical side of her brain argued back. Did staying in Jesus require her to wear the kapp at all times? Must she wear her hair long and forever parted down the middle-squeexed into a bun. Was this the only way?

While I don't expect my reviews to make much sense while on my journey of discovery. It is nice to have a place to write things down.

Happy Wednesday!

Teaser Tuesday

"Besides, he'd probably gotten himself invited to a Mennonite Bible study or prayer meeting somewhere. The Mennonites were known for seeking out the truths of God's Word and many of them ended up becoming missionaries.
At the time, Katie figured Dan had encountered some Bible-thumpers, that was all. But she hoped he'd be careful about his affiliation with outsiders. Especially Mennonites"

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, did a post December 30 called EBook Deals! Through that I found

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Kindle edition - amazon free purchase 

Now this was a great book. I enjoyed it so much more then the Emerald Talisman. I devoured it, couldn't get enough reading. There's a 1.5 book (their wedding!!) and a Ruling book! I am pretty excited about them and now I need to find them!

I think the thing that annoys me the most is the cover. You can't see Lucius face and her dress isn't like what I imagined. The dress described is so much more beautiful than what she is wearing in the cover. 


What I liked most about the book is how Lucius talked about woman's confidence. And so the rest of this review is full of my favorite lines and quotes! (I recommend reading the book!)

"Don't ever again say that you are not 'valuable,' Antanasia. Or not beautiful. Or, for god's sake, 'fat.' When you get the urge to indulge in such ridiculous, misplaced self-criticism, remember yourself at this moment."

"I like pink."

Lucius sniffed. "It's just red's sorry, weak cousin."


Oh and there is so many other good lines. While the story might not be original or absolutely amazing I will definitely read again when I need a confidence boost in myself esteem. Sorry for the lame review!! Keep Reading though! :)

The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, did a post December 30 called EBook Deals! Through that I found
 

Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos
Kindle edition - amazon free purchase 

I have yet to decide how I feel about this book.There were some great parts and there were some horrendous parts. Over all I think the horrendous wins over, yet I will still read the second one and other books by Brenda. I just don’t like the main character. Julia is an idiot, this guy just randomly appears at all major life events and then she forgets but doesn’t find it creep at all that he has been stalking her, since her mother’s death.

Points I do like:
Sam – Julia’s best friend. Actually I wished we saw more of her friends. They were great people and they would have made the story better.
Julia’s relationship with her Dad – that actually took me by surprise, how close they were and yet so far. If he was truly worried though why would he still be traveling?
The fortune teller and the cat – wish we had seen more of them. I think besides Julia’s friends they were one of the best pieces of the book and curiosity wants to know their story.

Points I struggled with
Feels like Julia is becoming another Bella. Obsessed with guys, no life without them, and no thinking about themselves.

“I could still feel his strong body carrying me up the hill, his touch when he brushed aside my hair, his tenderness and concern when I fought going to the emergency room. He ruined all future relationships for me because no one could compare. And the sad part was, in one small lifesaving gesture, he’d managed to capture my heart and he had no idea.” Insert eye roll here and come on get over yourself.

My favorite line in the book

“You know why the waves glow like that?” Phil said, breaking my spiraling thoughts. “It’s actually plankton. The waves break their bodies apart and they glow because of it. I’ve only seen it one other time before. It’s pretty rare.”

Double Dare by Rhonda Nelson

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, did a post December 30 called EBook Deals! Through that I found

Double Dare by Rhonda Nelson 
Kindle edition - amazon free purchase
and I book that I would normally never read

I have to say I read this book in an hour, hour or so, not really sure as I was sneaking peeps at work. This is so not my usual type of book. A. it's an adult romance B. it's definitely adult. But it was such a good story, except the ending. After the last book this was the perfect light read. I could relate to Lou because I did pretty much that, except for the fact that Mr. and I lasted three weeks not 5 days. But that's more for my actual blog and not for my book blog.

I do have a few bones to pick with the book, for one I am not sure if it's because it's the kindle addition but sentences were missing words or letters that were important.

in pales that had never known a...

and that's not a typo
BUT my favorite paragraph is the following!

Until something amazing happened. Lou realized she was flying, seemingly weightless. She cracked an eye open and found herself no longer terrified. The euphoric feeling wrapped around her until Lou didn't want the jump to end. Exhilaration pulsed through her, tickled her nerves and made her laugh with giddy delight. She opened her arms and grinned until her face hurt, until she could seemingly feel every particle of night air embrace her. Oh, wow! No wonder Same had enjoyed this!This was...this was... amazing!"

Another Jekyll, Another Hyde (Another #3) by Daniel Nayeri, Dina Nayeri

Release Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Received from: NetGalley
Rating: 4
Cover Thoughts: Loved the eyes!!
Review: I always seem to do this. Pick up the third book in an awesome series. In this case though, while I feel like a miss whole lot with certain characters. The main character and the evil bad guy's story was written well and I didn't feel like I missed a thing by not reading the first to books.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, however if fault like there should be more horror. The ending was to neat and clean. I feel like the way things ended with Nicola Vileroy was disappointing.  I wonder if by reading the first two books, if that would make me feel better about Nicola in the end. But I am not sure if it would be enough.

I did enjoy how things ended with Annie. Annie was one of my favorite characters, even though she was only a small part of the book. I very much enjoyed that when she was depressed she makes a massive meal and uses food colouring in all the food, in this case turning everything purple. It's an interesting idea!

Happy Reading

Waiting on Wednesday

An elusive stalker is targeting Marlowe kids - and something unearthly has gotten into its wealthiest
student - as the Another series builds up to a fiendish finale.

When his billionaire father marries French governess Nicola Vileroy, high society is all abuzz - but Thomas, the most popular student at Marlowe, is just plain high. Ever since his girlfriend Belle dumped him, he's been spending less time with old friends and more time getting wasted at clubs. But after someone slips him a designer drug one night - and his stepmother seems to know way too much about his private life - things really start to get scary. As Thomas's blackouts give way to a sinister voice inside his head, and as news of a vicious hate crime has students on edge, Thomas comes to the sickening realization that Madame Vileroy has involved him in a horrifying supernatural plan. How can he muster the strength and will to stop it? The pulse-quickening climax revisits Jekyll and Hyde as a current-day cautionary tale laced with a heady dose of paranormal intrigue

Release Date March 13, 2012