Audiobook: Passenger

Passenger is written by Alexandra Bracken and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and is the first book of a duology of the same name.

Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.

The Breakdown:
1.  Time traveling adventure, I was like, yes please.  Bracken did not disappoint me with this novel.  There plenty of adventure, from the Revolution to the London Blitz.  Plus, as usual, her characters are amazing.

2. Absolutely adore Etta.  She is talented and smart.  She learns so quickly to adapted to the world she has been thrust into. Most her like she has no clue about Travelers, and has no training, but she takes all in and adjust to her circumstances so quickly.  Plus, I adore her interactions with Nicholas.

3.  Speaking of Nicholas, he is my new book boyfriend.  He is such the gentleman.  I am amazed how kind he can be despite how the world has treated him for the most part.  I personally love his amazement of the cars and planes when he and Etta arrive in Blitz London.   The chemistry between he and Etta is probably some of the best between the pages of a novel.

4. I want to take a minute to talk about the narrated, Saskia Maarleveld.  She is amazing at giving each character their own voice.  She really brings the characters to life, and she is definitely a narrated you never have to question which character is speaking when she does their voices.

5. Like her The Darkest Minds trilogy, Bracken brings in some characters I love to hate.  First, there is Sophia who under the guise of helping Etta, basically kidnaps her and forces her to do her families bidding.  On the topic of her family, Grandfather, Cyrus Ironwood, is the worst.  He expects the world to bend to his will, and will do anything to insure that happens. A man with no morals is super scary to me.   Then there is Rose, Etta's mother,  I am not sure how I feel about her, yet.  She obviously has manipulated Etta in some way, but I can't decided if I hate her for it, yet, but she has definitely done some terrible things to achieve her end goals.

6.  The ending was heartbreaking and amazing at the same time.  Bracken drops some major secrets on you at the end and really setting up for a possible epic conclusion in the second book.  You better believe I downloaded almost as soon as I finished this one to listen to.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling is the sixth book in the series.

When Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens, the war against Voldemort has begun. The Wizarding world has split down the middle, and as the casualties mount, the effects even spill over onto the Muggles. Dumbledore is away from Hogwarts for long periods, and the Order of the Phoenix has suffered grievous losses. And yet, as in all wars, life goes on.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, having passed their O.W.L. level exams, start on their specialist N.E.W.T. courses. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate, losing a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Harry becomes captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, while Draco Malfoy pursues his own dark ends. And classes are as fascinating and confounding as ever, as Harry receives some extraordinary help in Potions from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

Most importantly, Dumbledore and Harry work together to uncover the full and complex story of a boy once named Tom Riddle—the boy who became Lord Voldemort. Like Harry, he was the son of one Muggle-born and one Wizarding parent, raised unloved, and a speaker of Parseltongue. But the similarities end there, as the teenaged Riddle became deeply interested in the Dark objects known as Horcruxes: objects in which a wizard can hide part of his soul, if he dares splinter that soul through murder.

Harry must use all the tools at his disposal to draw a final secret out of one of Riddle’s teachers, the sly Potions professor Horace Slughorn. Finally Harry and Dumbledore hold the key to the Dark Lord’s weaknesses... until a shocking reversal exposes Dumbledore’s own vulnerabilities, and casts Harry’s—and Hogwarts’s—future in shadow.

The Breakdown:
This may be my second favorite of the Harry Potter books, and as always serious spoliers ahead.   I really enjoy learning more about Voldemort's past.  Plus, I kind of love the peak into Snape's life at home when Bellatrix and Narcissa visit.

I find Slugghorn a fascinating character.  He is definitely someone who enjoys his creature comforts, and loves being connected to those with power.  Like that even though he is Slytherin, he does not care about linage, but rather talent. 

I want to take a minute to talk about how bad-ass Ginny has become in this book.  She was definitely getting there in the last book, but this one she kills it.  Her talent as at spells and Quidditch is awesome.  Plus, she does not take any mouth off of Ron for her dating choices.  So glad that Harry finally wakes up to her awesomeness.

More importantly, how about Harry's potions book that steps up his potions game.  It is interesting incites in to the world of potions and a few extra spells.  Interesting to see how is causes rifts between our favorite trio.  Hermione not trusting the Half-blood prince's notations, and Ron becoming jealous of Harry's performance in potions because of it.  Then the shock of learning that the Half-Blood Prince is Snape, Harry's most despised professor, nice giant twist Rowling.

Before, I get into the super heavy revelations of the book.  I just want to talk about my favorite moment when McGonagall is helping Harry, Ron, and Neville plan their class.  When Neville states that his grandmother thinks Charms is a useless subject.  Love McGonagall's come back and ratting her out for hating it because she failed her O.W.L. in Charms.  Pure Gold.

Okay, get your tissues out, because I am jumping into the feels here. First, I want to talk about Malfoy.   He is so obviously up to something during the book, but only Harry seems to really suspect him.  Others are blowing off Harry's concerns.  Then there is the glimpse of Malfoy's struggle.  We know he as been tasked with something by Voldemort given the Unbreakable vow Narcissa and Snape make.  The poor boy is confiding in Moaning Myrtle, so you know he is at a low point. 

Then there is Slugghorn's story about Harry's mother, Lily and the flower she left him.  When he talks about how it dies when she died, it just broke my heart.  This book breaks my heart by getting to know Lily a little better, and seeing she was a kind and talented witch whose life was cut short too soon.

I am still not over the ending of this book.  Dumbledore dying still kills me every time I read it.  Poor Harry who is frozen there and unable to do anything to prevent it from happening.   And the worst is when Harry breaks the news to Hargrid, oh the tears. 

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Audiobook: The Rose Society

The Rose Society by Marie Lu and is narrated by Carla Corvo and Lannon Killea is the second book of the Young Elites books.

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she flees Kenettra with her sister to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good when her very existence depends on darkness?

The Breakdown:
1. This book starts several weeks after the end of the first book.  The Daggers have forced Adelina out, and both Adelina and the Daggers have fled Kenettra and are plotting revenge. In Kenetrra, Teren has put into place a plan to rid them of the malfettos.  There are a lot of elements in play in this book which gives a little bit of slow start to bring everything together.

2. I found myself not liking Adelina in this book.  I get her paranoia and bitterness after the way the Daggers treated her, but that she takes most of that out on her sister bothers me.  She is also losing control of her illusions and refuse to admit she needs help. I really disliked her at the end.

3. This book introduces Magiano, Sergio, and Maeve.  I really liked Magiano.  He was a lighter side to a darker book.  It is moments with him that I like Adelina the best.  Plus, I think there is way more chemistry between him and Adelina than there ever was between Adelina and Enzo.  Then Sergio, who we find out, is the elite that Raffaele referenced when warning Adelina about what happens when you cannot control your powers.  He is a lethal mercenary and can control the storms.  Plus, I like what is happening between him and Violetta.   Then there is Maeve, the queen of Beldain, and can raise the dead.  With her, we get to see how other countries see their elites as gifts from the gods, and not abominations.

4.  The bomb Lu drops at the end with the discovery of what the powers are doing to elites was a shocker.  I am excited to see how the story is going to play out with this revelation and where the story goes in the third book.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter in the Order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling is the five book in the series.

"'You are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The Headmaster thinks it inadvisable for this to continue. He wishes me to teach you how to close your mind to the Dark Lord.'"

Dark times have come to Hogwarts. After the Dementors' attack on his cousin Dudley, Harry Potter knows that Voldemort will stop at nothing to find him. There are many who deny the Dark Lord's return, but Harry is not alone: a secret order gathers at Grimmauld Place to fight against the Dark forces. Harry must allow Professor Snape to teach him how to protect himself from Voldemort's savage assaults on his mind. But they are growing stronger by the day and Harry is running out of time ..

The Breakdown
In this book Harry Potter becomes super shouty, and angry, thus giving this book a darker mood than the previous books.  It really shows that our favorite trio is growing up.

This book introduces one of my most hated literary character in Umbridge.  Possibly the only character that complete with my hate of her is Joffery from Game of Thrones.  She is cruel and horrible.  I find her more despicable than Voldemort.  The punishment she uses for those in detention is down right child abuse.  Plus there is her obvious bigotry to those magical creatures that are not human.   All this and the government is condoning her behavior  is just sickening.

This book also shows the deeper connection between Harry and Voldemort.  From Harry seeing Voldemort's thoughts and emotions to learning the prophecy that caused Voldemort to target Harry to begin with.

Can I take a minute to talk about my love of both Luna and Neville.  Luna is such a strange and unique character, and she does not care what people think of her.  I particularly love her Quidditch hats, #truefan.  Then Neville really starts to shine is this book.  He flourish under Harry's instruction in the D.A.  Also, seeing him with his parents in St. Mungo's was really heartbreaking.  Then Rowling drops the bomb with the prophecy that Neville could have been the boy who lived!

I am so disappointed in Sirius in this book.  The way he treats Kreacher is horrible, especially in the last book he said you can tell a lot about a wizard by how he treats his house elf.   Plus, I really does feel that he is trying to be more a best friend to Harry rather than a guardian.

The fight at the Ministry is one of the most awesome fight sequences in books.  The ruthlessness of the Death Eaters, and innocence of the Hogwarts' students makes for an interesting foil in the fight. Plus the heartbreak that it brings about and the revelations about the prophecy and how the story will have to play out.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Audiobook: The Young Elites

The Young Elites is written by Marie Lu and narrated by Carla Corvo and Lannon Lillea and is the first book of the series of the same name.

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

The Breakdown:
1. I am so terribly behind in my reviews, so to my 2 loyal readers, sorry.  So on to the review, I find the world that Lu has created so fascinating in this book.  It is a combination of an alien planet and a culture very similar to that of the Italian Renaissance.  Then there is the disease that has marked the survivors, some of who have developed strange powers from it.

2. I loved the style of the audiobook.  The book alternates from the first person perspective of Adelina and several chapters from male characters perspective.  Corvo does Adelina's chapters and is very engaging in them.  She captures the turbulent emotions of Adelina through this journey very well.  Lillea does all the male characters' chapters, and does an amazing job of giving them each their own unique voice.

3. Adelina is certainly an interesting character.  She goes from a very scared girl to a powerful elite.  I feel that she has quite the struggle of loyalty in this book between her sister and the elites that saved her.  I have to say one of my least favorite things is the romance between Adelina and Enzo.  It felt very one-sided and forced.

4. The male character chapters alternate between Enzo, Raffaele, and Teren.  I like that Lu gives both the Daggers perspective and that of their enemy.   So I find both Raffeale and Teren scary in their own way.  Raffeale for how he is very determined for the Daggers to accomplish their goals, and how he is willing to use others as he sees fit.  Teren for his fanatical beliefs that the malfettos must be destroyed and his obsession with the queen.

5.  Lu absolutely killed me with this ending.  I was so shocked by it, and honestly still have a lot of feels about it. It will definitely keep me reading this series.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Renegades

Renegades is by Marissa Meyer and is the first book of a new series by the same name.

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

The Breakdown:
1. I feel like I finished this book ages ago, but I have taken forever to get around to reviewing.  I had a lot of feelings about this book, both good and bad.  First I will start by saying I found the world that Meyer has created fascinating.  There are these prodigies, most of whom develop powers in stressful/dangerous situations, but there are those born with them.    In the beginning they were hunted and persecuted, but then there was a revolution.  At first chaos of individual gangs of them ruled and then there were the Renegades, aka superheroes, that now are restoring order.  It is definitely a complex world and back story.

2. Nova considers herself a villain, but she is a lot more complicated that just clear cut bad.  She has her reasons for hating the Renegades, but honestly, she seems to be a good person at heart.   For someone who considers herself a villain, she does some pretty heroic things at times.

3. Adrian is a interesting foil and love interest for Nova.  He is the biological son of a slain Renegade and the adopted son of  two other Renegades.  Kind of love that he is raised by a gay couple, on that note.   He has the amazing ability to bring whatever he draws into the real world.  He is keeping some major secrets from his dads and the his Renegades team.

4.  One of the things I like most about this book is the supporting characters. I really liked Ruby and Oliver, and actually want more of them and their awkward flirts.  There are some interesting villains, both of the Anarchist and in the Renegades.  I think they help to prove that good and bad are not always black and white.  But my absolute favorite is Max.  I want so much more of him and how his powers work.

5.  I did have some problems in this book.  I felt that Meyer got a little too wordy at times.  The book did seem to drag in some places. I was also confused why all the heroes and villains had code names/secret identities, but they all seemed to know each others real life names. What is the point of the secret identity if everyone knows who you really are.  Then there is Nova-Adrain romance.  At times it works well, but sometimes it feels too forces.

6. Last thing, I promise, that ending was fantastic!  OMG, the big secret at the end blew me away.  It definitely has me hooked for the next book.  Plus, I feel like there is more to the story to Nova's parents' death than she has been told, and it could really connect her to Adrian.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read