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