What's in a Name?

The Power of Six is the second of the Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore.  The story of nine children known as the Garde and their guardians, Cepan, who escaped from another world.  They are being hunted down by the Mogadoriens, who destroyed their planet, and now want to destroy them.  This book bounce between John, number four, and Merina , number 7, as the narrators.

John, along with his best friend Sam and Six, are on the run after the events in Paradise Ohio.  They are unsure of what to do next  now that Henri is dead.  All they have left is John's Chest which he spends the better part of the book reluctant to open, and the other half having no idea what half the stuff inside is.  When they discover a secret about Sam's missing dad, they head back to Ohio, only to find serious trouble.

Merina has been living as an orphan in a convent in Spain for year now.  Her Cepan is posing as a nun, and she is no longer a believer in their mission.  Merina is trying to live up to her destiny, and she searches for the other.  She knows about John, and she is having dreams about Six, but does not know how to reach them on her own.  Please she has a suspicion that the Mogadoriens have found her.

I really enjoyed I am Number Four, and I wanted so badly to like this book too, but I just could not do it.  The author contradicts himself from the first book. Like Loriens only fall in love once, just kidding I have decided that I like John and Six together, so they can have multiple loves.  Or taking a character I really liked from the first book, Sarah, and making her into a spineless and unloyal witch.

Then there is the whole Merina story, while better than John, Six and Sam story, I was really having trouble seeing how the stories would come together.  When they did intersect, it felt like the author went, oh yeah, I forgot to tie my two storylines together so here goes.

Still don't have any clue why the Mogadoriens destroyed their world, and now what to kill all the Garde. Plus why is the book even called The Power of Six, she is not even a narrator or making so dramatic discover of her powers in this book. This book left me feeling very disappointed with the whole thing.  I definitely will not be finishing this series.

Currently Reading:
Elegy
by Tara Hudson

Death's Daughter

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers is the second of the His Fair Assassin series.  This book follows Sybella, a daughter of Death and one of his handmaidens trained by the convent.  While the first book, Grave Mercy, is more about the politics and court intrigue of the Brittany, this book is more of Sybella's personal journey.

When Sybella arrives at the convent of St. Mortain death would be a welcome relief to her life, she finds that there are uses for her skills, and trains as an assassin along side Ismae and Annith.  There she finds comfort, but it does not last for she is sent on assignment by to her old home, back to her father d'Albret and her brother Julian who loves her too much.  She awaits the orders to kill d'Albret, what she was promised for her return to him.

When she finally receives orders, it is not to kill d'Albret, but to free his prisoner, and return him to the duchess.  The prisoner is the Baron of Waroch, or Beast as he is known in the tales and to his friends.  She frees Beast, and on their attempt to smuggle him out, he knocks her out, and she is taken along with them.

In Beast, Sybella finds a kindred spirit and a kind heart.  She must decided whether to trust him with her secrets.  Time is running out, and d'Albret is after them and still has plans for the duchess.

I believe this book was every bit as good as Grave Mercy, if not better.  Sybella has a seriously messed up home life, and it is amazing she as any kind of sanity at all, let alone being extremely intelligent and cunning. She is a strong and wonderful character, and I simply love the moments when Ms. LaFevers shows her gentler side.  I enjoyed seeing how every different Sybella is from Ismae, and not just in her upbrining, but in her personality too.  I think Beast puts it best when he says while Ismae does her job as Death's handmaiden well, it is just that to her, a job, but Sybella enjoys the thrill of the job and the righteous kill.

I like the fact that Beast is not a traditional male lead. He is by no means consider handsome, but he has the most wonderful spirit.  He is loyal to his duchess and friends, and inspiring to the men he leads into battle.  He cares for those weaker than he is.

Sybella and Beast make a wonderful pair. They work so well together in battle and in their planning.  Plus, each of them has deeper ties to each other than they are first aware.

So I have to admit, one of my absolute favorite parts of the book, just like in Grave Mercy, is when Sybella meets her true father, Death.  It is touching, and enlightening to what Death expects from his children, which is nothing but to be happy.  It proves that the ways of man are not the ways of the gods, and that even the abbess is not always right.

Speaking of the abbess of St. Mortain, I don't like or trust her.  I have a feeling that there is more going with her than we know, yet.  It will be interesting to see what roles she will play in the next book.

So the next book in the series is not due out until November, bummer, but it looks like it will be following Annith.  I cannot wait to know her story, and what role she will be playing.

Currently Reading:
The Power of Six
by Pittacus Lore

All's Fair in Love and War

Requiem by Lauren Oliver is the final book in her Delirium trilogy.  It is a world where love is a disease, Delira, and people are given at cure when they turn 18.  Those without the cure, or for whom the cure doesn't work are the invalids.  Warning: if you have not read the first two books there will be SPOILERS from those in this review. (I also recommend reading Hana before reading this book.)

So at the end of Pandemonium, Lena goes back to New York to rescue Julian, who she developed feelings for during their capture and escape.  She had no idea that Raven and Tack made it a set up so to ruin the DFA's poster boy.  Once rescued, they rejoin the group, and surprise, surprise Alex is alive and has escaped the Crypts in Portland.

In Requiem the book bounce back and forth between Lena and Hana's lives.  Lena is dealing with the reappearance of Alex, and the change that has happened to him while they were apart.  Alex is aloof and avoiding her.  When she confronts him, he tells her that he doesn't love her, and that he never loved her.  This, of course, sends he rushing into Julian's arms.  There is definitely a strained relationship between Lena, Julian and Alex which eventually leads to a Julian and Alex fight and Alex leaving the rest of the group.

Hana is now cured and preparing for her marriage to Fred Hargrove, the new Mayor of Portland.  She thought the cure was suppose to make everything easier, but she is still having dreams.  She still feels guilty for turning Lena and Alex in, and the guilt press down more on her when she learns has happened to Lena's family as a result.  Plus he soon-to-husband is not the quite the golden boy he appears to be.

The resistance is growing stronger, and the Cured are cracking down more.  Regulators are in the Wilds, and bombings in the civilization.

Requiem is written in a way that you know that is leading up to the eventual confrontation between Lena and Hana, so there was no surprise when that happened. Honestly the Julian and Lena relationship felt so forced, and spent time debating whether Ms. Oliver did that on purpose to heighten the tension between Julian, Lena, and Alex, or that is just the way it happened.

Plus Hana was a rather bland character in this book. She really fades into the background when she appears with any other character.  When she sees Grace, Lena's cousin, it is Grace that steals the scene.  It is Grace that I am drawn to as a character, and I almost forget that Hana is even there.

I did like that Lena and her mother finally got reconnected.  I know she made a brief appearance in Pandemonium, but here we finally saw them developing a relationship.  Lena learning why her mother did the things she did, and her mother getting to know her the daughter she missed see grow up.

The ending was so bleh for me.  It left me with questions still, and so much unresolved.  Like what happens to the world, does the resistance succeed in the end or does the establishment beat them back down?  What happens to Hana, Lena, Alex, and Julian?  As I finished the last page, I find myself muttering, "Is that it?"  I feel so unfulfilled be the ending to the book and to the trilogy.

Currently Reading:
Dark Triumph
by Robin LaFevers

Proper Lady Spy In Training

The second book of Gail Carriger's Finishing School series is Curtsies & Conspiracies.  This series is a little bit steampunk, a little bit paranormal, a little bit spy, and all together awesome.  It is set in the same universe as her series The Parasol Protectorate, only this takes places earlier in the time line.  In fact some of the characters from that series make an appearance in this one, only in a younger state.

Sophronia, in her first six months of finishing school for spies, has been mixed up with intrigue over a stolen device, and made a rather good show of it, despite the cheese pie thrown at her.  She is just settling back into school, when their evaluations come about.  She does well on her marks, in fact the highest that has been seen at a six month evaluation, but that makes her an outcast among her classmates.  She smells a set up, and for now only has Soap, the sootie, and Genevieve, or Vieve to her friends, to confide in.

With evalauations finished, new excitement is bubbling at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality when it is announced they will be traveling to London to see the first flight using the Aether.  Oh, and they will be taking along a selct few gentlemen from Bunson's, a school for evil geniuses.

Sophronia has her hands full figuring the real reason behind the London trip, who is trying to kidnap Dimity, and discrediting Professor Shrimpdittle for Vieve.  No to mention Lord Mersey's new intentions toward her, and the sorting out of her feelings for Soap.

I simply adore the world that Ms. Carriger has created in her books.  The intrigue, the fashions, and the politics are fantastic. Her storylines and characters are so much fun to read.  I am never bored by her books. If I could pick a fantasy world to live in, I think that hers would be at the top of my list.

I love that Sophronia is an independent and very capable young lady.  She does what she needs to do to get the job done, and never expects for some male to rescue her.  Not that I don't love the male characters, too.  Soap is wonderful.  He is street smart, and just has this way about him that makes him very appealing to me.

Bonus in this book, everybody's favorite fashionable vampire, Lord Akeldama, makes a brief but wonderful appearance.  And can I just take a minute to talk about how creative Ms. Carriger's character names are, for instance Lord Dingleproops.

Hints of more intrigue at the end have me wanting more already.  Why must I have to wait so long between books?

Currently Reading:
Requiem
by Lauren Oliver

A Peculiar Book

Hallow City is the second of Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children books.  Set in a world where there a Peculiars, people who have a strange ability, and the the Peculiars live in Loops, areas out of time that live a single day over and over again.  The Loops are so the Peculiars are safe from normals and Hollowgast, monster that eat Peculiars.  At the end of the first book, the Peculiar children of the Cairnholm rescue their ymbryne, Miss Peregrine who controls the Loop, from a U-boat controled by Wights.

The children of Miss Peregrine's Loop are making their escape from Cairnholm, and need to find another ymbryne to help Miss Peregrine return to her human form.  The are tired, hungry, and being chased by Wights.  They have heard that all the other ymbryne have been captured and sent to the prison loops in London, so decide to try and make their way there.

Jacob must find a way to hone his skills of feeling the Hollowgast presents in order to better protect the other children.  Plus he a lot of other things to deal with like being way out of his time, suck in 1940, his feelings for Emma, and what to do when they return Miss Peregrine to normal.

Along their journey, they discover a Loop of Peculiar Animals, who let them know that their ymbryne, Miss Wren, has not been taken and is in London, also, to find a way to save the others.  The meet a group of Gypsies who help protect them from the Wights.

The world is a dangerous place for a Peculiar without a Loop and their ymbryne, and these children are in a race for their lives and the life of Miss Peregrine.

This book, along with the first book, are a fantastic combination of written word and photographs.  Ransom Riggs finds the most amazing photographs that really enhance his story telling.  The concept of the way he does this is so fresh and really wonderfully.

The character of Jacob is so nicely written with his complex emotions, on the one hand missing his home and parents, but the other he really does not want to leave Emma.  He has such a struggle with developing his talent, and the best way to use it, to run from the Hollowgast or to fight them.  I feel that he had some great character development in this book.

I just want to take a minute to rave over Addison, the Peculiar dog.  I just love him, but who did not see that coming.  His personality was awesome, and just how I imagine my dogs would sound if they could talk.  I really do hope there is even more of him in the next book, which is hinted that he will play a bigger role at the end of this book.

Wow, the ending of this book, I did not see coming.  Now that ending is what I call a twist, and can't wait to see where the storyline goes from here.

Currently Reading:
Curtsies & Conspiracies
by Gail Carriger

Add a Little Steam

The Girl with the Iron Touch is the newest book in The Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross.  The series follows a group of teens lead by Griffin King, the Duke of Greythorne.  Each has a little something extra about them, working the Aether, talking to machines, or duel personalities.  In this book the focus is mostly on Emily, who has a way with machines.

Since returning from New York, Griffin hasn't been quite the same.  He spends more and more of his time locked away, and his friends know he is keeping a secret.  Before they can get further into deciding what to do about it, Jack Dandy shows up at the door.  He was recently asked to deliver a package, which when he took a peek, it spoke to him.

Emily and Finley head down to where he delivered it to, and find nada, not even tracks to suggest movement in the area.  Back at the manor, Sam waits worriedly about Emily.  Their relationship is becoming closer, and on return Emily declares her love for him, but before he gets the chance to respond, he is pulled away and Emily is kidnapped by automations.

Emily is taken to the underground, where she learns the Machinist is still alive, and needs her to transplant his brain into a living machine.  This living machine, Endeavor 312, is a girl made up from genetic material from Emily, Jasper, Finley, and Griffin.  She is learning quickly, and Emily feels responsible for her.  Plus she wants to put an end to the Machinist since he has hurt Sam so badly before.

Sam, Griffin, Finley, and Jasper continue on their search to find Emily, and they find out Griffin's secret.  They must find a way to save Emily and stop the ghost that are haunting Griffin before it is too late.

I figured that the Machinist was not dead, that would have been to easy, and a villain like that does not go that easy.  But what he has become, part monster barely being kept alive, part Aether entity, is much scarier than I could have imaged. Plus his automations have a creepy fanatical devotion to him, reminds me a little too much of some of histories worst dictators.   He is quite the foil for Griffin and his group.  You know that quote from The Mummy movie, "Death is only the beginning," I think it applies perfectly to the Machinist.

In this book, we got a lot more relationship development between the characters, especially between Emily and Sam, and Finley and Griffin.  Plus there was some excellent background development of Emily.  Learning about her past makes you realize just how strong she really is, and how much of a miracle her love for Sam is.  And Bonus, there are more hints dropped about Jack Dandy's origins.  I am definitely going to have to go back and read The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy.

Remember  Wildcat from The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, she shows up again, and needs Jasper's help.

I really enjoy this series, and its characters.  If you are a steampunk fan, this is a must, and if you are just looking to try out steampunk, this is a good series to start with.

Currently Reading:
Hallow City
by Ransom Riggs

Going Greek

Dreamless is the second of Josephine Angelin's Starcrossed novels.  Possible SPOILERS in the review. In Starcrossed, Helen learned that she was a Scion, which explained her speed and abilities to heal.  A Scion is a descendant of a Greek god.  Not only is she a Scion, but she has the face of the most famous scion, her namesake, Helen of Troy.  Oh, and the boy she is in love, just happens to be her cousin.

Helen's mission is to free the Furies, who keep the Scion's of different houses and the Outcast wanting to kill each other.  It is a mission she has to go alone because she is only one who can descend into the Underworld.  It is lonely and exhausting.  As if her mission was not bad enough, Lucas has started to hate her.  She is having trouble coping with everything when Orion shows up in the Underworld to help her.

He is sent by her mother, Daphne, to help Helen find and free the Furies.  He, too, is a Rogue, which is having parents from two different Scion houses. Together they work their way through the Underworld, with vicious beast and the occasional crazy Olympian god to slow them down.

In the waking world, things aren't any easier for Helen, either.  She is exhausted all the time because walking to Underworld every night takes a lot out of you.  Lucas hates her and is avoiding her completely.  Plus, it feels like her best friend, Claire, is pulling away from her sometimes. Oh and there is this creepy ant thing that is watching her.

I like the way these books have a newer take on ancient Greek legends.  I enjoy the back stories to different things like their powers, the feuds, and the gods, but I have to admit that Helen is probably my least favorite character of the books.  I find that the supporting characters in these books are more to my liking.  Maybe it is because Helen seems a little too self-sacrificing for her own good, or that she comes off as too dependent on others at times.

I really did like Orion.  He is just what the Underworld needed to keep it for being a Woe is me Helen hour.  He is smart, strong, and has some pretty funny moments. I feel like despite the hardships he has faced, and there have been a lot, that he is still hopeful for a better outcome and believes in the mission to free the Furies.

Daphne, Helen's mother, is a very complicated character who it seems has some grand scheme she working out.  Daphne is trying to kill the leader of the Hundred Cousins.  Oh and worst of all she has lied to her daughter, Lucas and Helen are not actually cousins.  Those poor kids thinking they are abominations for being in love with their cousin because it did not fit into Daphne's plan, whatever that may be.

It will be interesting to see where the final book goes, especially after what happened in the end of Dreamless, and what Daphne's plan really is.

Currently Reading:
The Girl with the Iron Touch
by Kady Cross

Only Proves My Point

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa is the second of the The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten books.  These books feature Ethan Chase, Meghan's brother, along with his girlfriend Kenzie, and Meghan and Ash's son Keirran.

There is a lot of explaining to do when Ethan and Kenzie return after their adventure in Nevernever because real people can't just disappear without explanation.  Of course Kenzie's father is not impressed, and forbids Ethan to see her again.  As if his day is not going bad enough, Meghan is at his house, and tells him that Keirran has run away.

Soon Ethan learns why Keirran has run, Annwyl shows up and she is Fading.  Keirran is in search of a way to keep to stop the Fade.  Ethan, Kenzie, and Annwyl go to New Orleans to find the Goblin market where they believe Keirran is.  There they learn that the Forgotten have gotten way creepier, and since they are no longer able to feed of the Glamour of the half-fey and the exiles, they are feeding off the fears of those who can still see the fey, children.

In a last ditch effort to save Annwyl, Ethan, Kenzie, and Keirran go to the Summer Queen, Titania, to beg her to lift Annwyl's exile.  As with any fey, a bargain will come with a high price, and being the Queen of the Seelie court makes one of the most untrustworthy of the fey.

This book a had darker feel to than The Lost Prince with how creepy the Forgotten have become, and the change in Keirran.  Keirran is on a downward slide into something darker in this book.  He is not as happy or polite as he was in The Lost Prince.  He rarely smiles, and has some pretty ruthless moments. You get glimpse of the old Keirran, but as the book progresses, they become extremely rare.

Ethan in this book has a great moment when he truly begins to accept who and what he is.  With Kenzie's help, he realizes that he will never be rid of the Fey, but he can no longer allow them to dictate his life.  Kenzie does wonders for Ethan, and I really feel they are a perfect fit for each other.  She keeps him from being a total jerk, and he makes her feel whole despite her sickness.  I am just going to go ahead and say they are one of my favorite YA fiction couples.

So the ending gives you a whole new appreciation for cliffhangers. I think I yelled at the book as I finished, demanding that Ms. Kagawa tell me what happens.  It is times like these that make me very sad that I have to wait for the next book.

Currently Reading:
Dreamless
by Josephine Angelini

Last Grain of Sand in the Hourglass

The third and final book of Myra McEntire's Hourglass trilogy is Infinityglass.  Warning, this review will contain spoilers from Hourglass and Timepiece.

At the end of Timepiece, we learned that the Infinityglass was not an object as everyone thought, but a person, and that person is located in New Orleans.  The book switches between Dune, Hourglass's resident tech and the person with the most knowledge about the Infinityglass, and Hallie, who is the Infinityglass, as the narrators.

Hallie is has lead a very isolated life.  Her father, the head of Chronos, is part mob boss, part thief, and he fears for her safety, especially since when she was younger there was an attempt made on her life. She escapes in her dance and by going on Chronos jobs with her best friend, Poe.  After one job goes wrong, Poe is forced to teleport Hallie to save them, and since then things have been changing for Hallie.  Since she has the power to transmutate, change her appearance at will and she heals much faster, her powers get better after the incident and she is healing much faster.

Dune has the ability to control the tides and water, a power he has a healthy fear of since the tragedy of his childhood.  He is super tech savy, and knows more about the Infinityglass than anyone else at Hourglass.  He is a little shocked to find out that it is a person, not a thing.  Despite his fear of water, he agrees to go to New Orleans to help protector the Infinityglass from Jack and Teague.  He is a little bowled over by Hallie, while he tries to maintain his distance, it is obvious that will not happen because not only is he attracted to her, but she won't let him.

The rips are becoming more aggressive, and begin to possess Hallie because of what she is.  Dune and Hallie must find a way for her to control her powers and heal the time continuum before Jack and Teague can use Hallie for their own purposes.

I loved Hallie from the beginning.  She is smart and sassy.  And bonus points for when Poe calls her his companion, she ask to by Amy Pond, who is my favorite companion on Doctor Who.  I like that despite how isolated Hallie has been that she still has big dreams of doing more that what is expected of her.  Her beginning interactions with Dune are great as she tries to get a reaction out of him.  I love that she is a loving and caring person despite how horrible her mother has been to her.

I was a little unsure of how having Dune being the main character was going to go in this book.  He just seemed so background in the Hourglass and Timepiece that I never developed strong feelings for him.  That said, I really did like him.  He was a real sweet guy, and smart to top that.  He was a great partner for Hallie, and together they did well in bring out each other's strengths.

I enjoyed this book.  It was fast paced, and answered any lingering questions I had from the first two books.  Ms. McEntire added in some excellent plot twist, and while I didn't see them coming, they were not unrealistic in nature.  Plus I love all her geek references including Doctor Who, Star Wars, and Supernatural.

Currently Reading:
The Iron Traitor
by Julie Kagawa

I Put a Spell on You

Spell Bound is the third book in Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall series.  The book picks up not long after the exciting cliff hanger end to Demonglass, where Cal tells Sophie that her mom is with the Brannick's, and she needs to go to her.

Sophie finds herself in a dark wood, and disorientated when she is attacked by a red head, meaning she is a Brannick, who much to her embarrassment is just a girl.  The girl and her sister take her back to their home, where Sophie learns some unsettling things, like her mother is a Brannick, and she has been missing for three weeks.  Of course, she lets the Brannicks, Aislinn her aunt and her two daughters Finely and Izzy, know that she can no longer access her power, much to their disappointment.  Especially since the warlock, Torin, they have trapped in the mirror has said that Sophie will be the one to destroy the Casnoffs.

Cal soon shows up with Sophie's father in tow, but before they can get down to some planning on what to do about the Casnoffs, Sophie finds herself back at Hecate Hall magically.  No for real all the students are back there, including Archer and Jenna, and they cannot leave.  Sophie knows that Lara Casnoff has big plans, she just needs to find a way to stop her and save the other students.

I found this a very fitting ending to the Hex Hall series.  Sophie really comes into herself, and her powers as the book progresses.  She does very well at making the hard decisions, and placing the welfare of others above herself thus showing the signs of becoming a great leader.

Ms. Hawkins goes a great job of tying up her lose ends, like Sophie's parents, where Archer and Nick came from, and why Lara Casnoff did what she did.  She does, however have a spinoff series starring Izzy, which from the hints Torin was giving about her future, sounds like it could be just as good as Hex Hall.  It will be going on my to be read list.

Currently Reading:
Infinityglass
by Myra McEntire

Under Pressure

Hana is a novella from Lauren Oliver's Delirium universe.  The story centers around Hana, Lena's best friend, during the summer before her cure.  It takes place at the same time that Lena and Alex's story during Delirium.

Hana is feeling suffocated by all the pressures by her up coming Cure and her match to the Mayor's son.  She has decided to live her life to the fullest by going to all the underground parties she can before her Cure date.

She experiences the life of the party, the rhythm of the music, and even her first kiss during her summer.  Although she feels that Lena is drifting further away from. At the party that was raid, Hana believes she has made a grave mistake in her lifestyle choice, and goes to apologize for her mistakes to Lena, only to find that Lena has a secret of her own.

Hana is a complicated girl.  On one hand she wants to freedom, and a taste of the forbidden, but she also tries to be the good girl and has accepted her fate as being Cured.  She, also, has quite the jealous streak which manifest the more time she spends with Lena and Alex.

The revelation at the end left quite the impression.  It will be interesting to see how that will play into Requiem's story.  I hear that Requiem is a switch between Lena and Hana, so this is a must read before Requiem.

Currently Reading:
Spell Bound
by Rachel Hawkins

Or Evil Twins

Echo by Alyson Noel is the second book in her Soul Seekers series.  It is set in the small town of Enchantment, New Mexico.  A town that is pretty depressing due to be run by the Ritchers, a clan of Coyotes who are dark magick.

Daire is the Seeker, a person charged with keeping the balance of the good and evil.  She and her boyfriend, Dace, have been busy trying to restore the Lowerworld since the events of the Day of the Dead when Cade, Dace's very evil twin, restored his dead ancestors. During their time working together, Daire and Dace become closer, and their love growing.

When they finally declare their love to each other, the learn a horrifying truth, Cade is able to gain power as their love grows stronger since he is Dace's Echo.  Daire and Dace vow to keep their distance, while each figures out a way to stop Cade.

To be honest, this book not only dragged a lot, and generally got on my nerves.  Daire and Dace are so sure that each other their plans to kill Cade is right, but neither seems to be able to get it together.  And all the whiny angst about loving each other, but being able to think about it got old real quick.  Seriously, for two people who vowed to stay apart, they found themselves together an awful lot.

The idea that true love making pure evil stronger just does not sit well with me.  Maybe I spent way too much time watching Disney movies, but I am a believer in true love conquering all.  

The way this book dragged, and was so full of whiny angst, I am not sure if I want to read the rest of the series.  

Currently Reading:

Hana

by Lauren Oliver

All You Need is Love

Pandemonium is the second book in Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy.  It takes place in a dystopian society where love, aka deliria, is a disease.  Everyone must undergo the cure at 18, and those who are not cured are called Invalids.  At the end of Delirium, Lena and Alex attempt to escape into the Wilds so they will be free to love each other.  Lena makes it, but Alex does not.  The setting for this book goes back and forth between when Lena first arrives in the Wilds "then," and her working for the resistance in NYC "now."

In the "then," chapters, Lena struggles to find her place within the group in the Wilds.  She is very weak to begin with after her flight from Portland.  She slowly learns their ways, and how difficult things are for them.  All the while, she is trying to get over her loss of Alex.  She learns to cope, and to push the heartbreak away as time goes on.  Here we meet Raven, while only slightly older than Lena, is the leader of the group.  She teaches Lena much about pushing away her grief and moving on with her life.

In the "now" chapters, Lena has moved into NYC, and is working with the resistance there.  She has adapted a new identity and is gathering intellegence on the Deliria-Free America  (DFA) group.  It is here that she meets Julian Fineman, the DFA's leader's son and the poster child for wanting the cure.  At a rally she is assigned to always keep her eyes on Julian. When the Scavengers attack and Julian escapes into the tunnels, she follows and along with Julian is taken prisoner by the Scavengers.  During their time together, Lena learns that Julian is not as passionate about having the cure as he appears, and that his motives for wanting it are not what she expected.  Julian learns that not all those without the cure are the same, and that love is not the dirty word he has been taut.

I am not too sure that I am a fan of this back and forth of Lena's timeline.  I almost wish that Ms. Oliver had done the "then" chapters, and then the "now" chapters in chronologically order.  I felt that it dragged at times during the "then" chapters, but I did understand the need for those chapters.  They explained Lena and Raven's personalities better.

The "now" chapters, on the other hand, were pretty fast paced.  You learn that there is more at work than what Lena knows is happening as you progress through them.  The resistance is much bigger, and more  complicated than I first thought as the chapters go on.  Plus you get a couple of surprise characters at the end.

Overall a worthy follow-up to Delirium, and it will be interesting to see where the last book goes with what happened at the end of Pandemonium.

Currently Reading:
Echo
by Alyson Noel

Demons need Love, Too

Demonglass is the second book in Rachel Hawkins' Hex Hall series.  It picks up about six months after the events of Hex Hall.

At the end of Hex Hall, Sophie sends a letter to the Prodigium Council, which is headed by her father whom she has never met, requesting to have her powers removed.  Six months later, her father finally shows up, and request that Sophie spend the summer with him in England before she makes the final decision to go through with the Removal.  Sophie agrees as long as she can bring Jenna with her, and her dad tells her that Cal will be coming too, and oh by the way, your betrothed to him.

Once in England, Sophie and friends are taken to Thorne Manor, where she meets the rest of the council,  and surprise, surprise, two demon teens.  She learns that the council is in limbo with the recent Eye attacks, and the alliance between the Eye and the Brannicks.

After a disastrous night in a London nightclub, Sophie gets serious about learning how to control her powers. Did I mention that Archer showed up and saved her at that club?  Her archenemy with the Eye, but who she still might have a major crush.  And oh yeah, Elodie's ghost seems to be hanging around her, and trying to communicate with her, something a ghost should not be doing.

Sophie and her Dad must figure out who is raising demons before it all the citizens of Prodigium become targets in a full out war between the them and the Eye.

I really like the character of Sophie and the progression she has made since the first book.  She is doing a better job of thinking her decisions through, and going to those more experienced than her for advice.  It is interesting to see the relationship between her and her dad grow,  and where she got some of her traits from.

Ms. Hawkins wrote in some really great plot twist, and some classic betrayals.  She did a great job of keeping me guess on who was doing what until the reveal moments.    The secret about Sophie's mom at the end is a dozy, just to warn you.

Currently Reading:
Pandemonium
by Lauren Oliver

Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Whimey

Timepiece is the second book in the Hourglass series by Myra McEntire.  In this book, Ms. McEntire switches her narrator.  This time around is it Kaleb, instead of Emerson.

Kaleb has had a rough year.  First his father is killed in an explosion, then his mother goes into a coma, and then his father comes back from the dead.  Just because his best friends, Micheal and Emerson just happen to be able to manipulate time. He is working on coping with all of it, mainly with alcohol.

He is at the town Halloween party, when he sees the hot girl as a tiger, too bad his plan to pick her up does not go well.  Then everything really goes to hell when Jack Landers shows back up, and then the mysterious Poe.  Poe, who takes Emerson hostage and threatens them that they must find Jack by Halloween or there will be consequences.

Jack, Micheal, and Emerson are in a rush to flush out Jack.  They turn to Emerson best friend, Lily, who just happens to be tiger girl from the party. Lily has a special ability that allows her to find things, and may be the key to finding Jack and restoring the balance of the time continuum.

Kaleb must learn to use his abilities, and deal with his new feelings for Lily in order to save everything he loves.

I loved Kaleb in the first book, Hourglass.  He is the classic bad boy on the outside, but there is nobody who feels more deeply than him, especially with his empathy gift.  He is a little of a drag at first while he is still moaning over Micheal and Emerson being together.  It does get better once he realizes he loves Emerson more as a sister than as a girlfriend.  He and Lily make a wonderful complement to each other because she is so genuine that he is never hurt by her words being a lie to her feelings.

Lily is pretty awesome in her own right.  Imagine never losing anything ever again, how convenient it must be for Lily.  Plus her Cuban attitude is pretty freaking amazing, just like many Cubans I know (Gisell, J. Maines, and Laura)!

I really enjoy the concept of time continuum issues. Time being a fluid flow of things that can change instead of a linear concepts, very Doctor Who of Ms. McEntire.  In fact, she has had Doctor Who references in both books so far, which as a Whovian myself, gives her bonus points in my eyes.

With the ending in this book, it will be interesting to see where she takes the next book, and who gets to be the narrator of it.

Currently Reading:
Demonglass
by Rachel Hawkins

Post-Apocalypse, Love it!

Endless Knight by Kresley Cole is the second book in the Arcana Chronicles.  Set in a post-apocalyptic world, where 22 teens representing the Arcana Major of the Tarot cards compete for immortality.

Endless Knight picks up right where Poison Princess ended with Evie's killing of Arthur, the Hermit Card.  Jack, Matthew, Finn, and Selena witness her in all her Empress glory.  And much to Evie's dismay, Jack is horrified by her actions.  Although she doesn't have much time to dwell on it because the Bagman attack them, and the militia is moving in, so they have to get out of Requiem.

On there run from the Bagman, Jack is avoiding Evie, but he is slowly coming to terms with her powers.  When he finally accepts everything and he and Evie are making up, they fall right into the cannibal's trap.  The cannibals are lead by Gutherie, the Hierophant card.  As they are running from the cannibals, they meet up with Lark, the Strength card, who tries to help them escape.

All this time, Death continues to plague Evie's thoughts.  He wants vengeance on her, and yet, seems jealous of her and Jack's relationship.  Too bad Evie has no idea why he is that way with her.

Death takes Evie from her allies, and brings her back to his home.  Evie learns much about Death, and slowly learns about their past from previous games.  She must sort out her feelings for Jack and Death, and find a way to stop the games madness.

I absolutely love the concept of these books, and the way the Ms. Cole writes them.  I really like the fact that in Poison Princess, you got to see Evie's life and the world become the apocalypse.

Evie is a fantastic character.  She is loyal to her friends, and is trying so hard not to be like the past Empresses.  She wants to be a good person, and struggles with her Arcana kills, even if the two she killed were pretty horrible cards.  I can understand her struggle over her feelings for Jack and Death.

Jack, who I already loved from Poison Princess, only becomes more awesome.  His fierce protectiveness of Evie, even after he know she is very powerful, is wonderful.  Then you have Death, who as the book progress, you can't help to like him more and more.  There is a aching loneliness to him that you can't help but to feel for him.

And the ending, I can't believe I have wait like a year for another book!  Oh, and then there is the hint that there is still a Major Arcana that has not been awakened.  It leaves me with so questions many and so theories.

Since there are a lot of Arcana to keep up with I am adding a picture of their cards, and who has been revealed so far, their calls, and who has not lived.

  

The World: Tess "Trapped in the palm of my hand"
Judgement: Gabriel "I watch you like a hawk"
The Moon: Selena "Behold the Bringer of doubt"
The Star: Dead
The Tower: Joules "Eyes to the sky, lads, I strike from above"
The Devil: Ogen "I'll make a feast of your bones"-Dead
Temperance: Calanthe "Crush you with the weight of sins"-Dead
Death
Justice: Spite- Dead
Strength:Lark "Red of tooth and claw"
The Hermit: Arthur "A wise man in the guise of a boy..."- Dead
The Lovers: Vincent and Violet "We will love you. In our own way."
The Hierophant: Gutherie "We go now to our bloody business"-Dead
The Empress- Evie "Come touch...but you will pay a price."
The Magician: Finn "Don't look at this hand, look at that one."
The Fool: Matthew "Crazy like a fox"

Currently Reading:
Timepiece
by Myra McEntire

Or Courtiers

Grave Mercy is the first book in Robin LaFevers' His Fair Assassin series.  A series about girls, who are Death's daughters, trained by the covenant of St. Mortain which still serves the gods of old to be assassins.

Ismae is born with a scar on her back from the poison her mother took to try to abort the pregnancy.  The scar and the fact she lived is evidence she is a daughter of Death, a god of old.  At fourteen, her "father" sells her off into marriage, but that quickly turns sour when her new husband sees her scar.  She is rescued by the local herbwitch and hedge priest who take her to the covenant of St. Mortain.

Once she passes the Mother Superior's test, she is started on her training to become an assassin to Death's will.  At the covenant, she meets her first real friends, Annith and Sybella.  At seventeen, she is sent on her first assignment, but on her second assignment she runs into the problem of Duval.

Duval is the most trusted adviser to Brittany's duchess, and with Ismae encounter with him, the mother superior and the Chancellor are unsure if he can be trusted.  Duval, himself, is quite angry with all them, because they have foiled his plan to question the traitor.

A complicated scheme is worked out, and Ismae is sent with Duval to court as a spy for mother superior and as Death's handmaiden.  Ismae soon learns not everything is what it seems, and she just might be in over her head.  She must learn to think for herself, and along the way she is falling in love with Duval.  And just maybe the will of men is not the will of Death.

Who knew that nuns as trained assassins could be such a fabulous book. This book has just about everything you could possibly want, mystery, action, adventure, and romance. Ms. LaFevers does a fantastic job of keeping you guess who is scheming what, and who is the biggest traitor. Her story has wonderful twist and turns to it, without being unbelievable.

Her characters are not the classic beauties, but you fall in love with them all the same.  Ismae has a harsh past and is devoted to her calling.  It is interesting to watch her grow as a character, from a blind devotee of the commands handed down by her covenant to someone who no longer sees the world in black and white, but with shades of grey.  Despite being trained assassin, she still has a very big heart as seen in her interactions with Annith and Sybella, and later with Anne and Isabeau.

Duval is a wonderfully complicated character.  From his devotion and love for Anne and Isabeau, to the animosity between him and his mother. He is a master of strategy, and with the intelligence he possess, it is no wonder that his enemies are afraid of him.

The slow courtship between him and Ismae is beautiful.  I am so glad it is not another love at first sight YA books.  I like it when they take the time to get to know each other, and that is what brings about their feelings for each other.

I am excited that the next book in the series is about Sybella.  I can already tell that she is going to be a complicated, damaged, but wonderful character to get to know better.

If you haven't started this series, yet, I highly recommend picking this one up.

Currently Reading:
Endless Knight
by Kresley Cole