Ink Exchange

Sequel To: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Summary: Leslie is desperate for a change in her depressing life before she suffocates. A tattoo is the perfect solution for it, she just knows it. Her body, her tattoo, her choice, her identity. A certain tattoo calls out to her at Rabbit’s shop and she knows it just has to be her’s. What she doesn’t realize is that when she gets the tattoo it will connect her to the Dark Court King, Irial. With peace between the Summer and Winter Court Irial and the dark fey are having trouble feeding. Leslie is Irial’s solution, only he doesn’t expect the conflicts that will meet him with the Summer King and new Summer Queen as his connection with Leslie is placed, especially since Leslie has attracted Irial’s old companion, Niall.

My Review: This was good. Not as good as Wicked Lovely, though. I got into this novel easier than I did with Wicked Lovely primarily because I liked the darker themes to it. The Dark Court fascinated me and this book was enlightening. I got to know the real face of Keenan and see Aislinn and others through someone else’s eyes. I think I enjoyed Aislinn’s view more, but it was fun to see Leslie try to deny the fact of what she was seeing. It really gave you a better perspective for what Aislinn was going through her entire life from someone who has never had the curse of The Sight.

This time around I feel like Marr believed her reader knew more than they did. I was left with questions unanswered that taunted me as I finished up the last page. I was unsatisfied that I didn’t get to know a concrete ending, but that’s just me.(*praying that the next book answers some of her questions*) Besides that it was awesome—enjoyable, thought-provoking, and exciting enough to keep your interest through the whole thing. So all in all: a good book with a totally awesome cover! ^^

Rating: 4/5

Reviews from the Pros:

Another highly addictive read...Compulsive enough to give the Twilight series a run for its money, and dizzyingly more sinister." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Newcomers and returning readers alike will devour this companion novel to Marr’s ragingly popular Wicked Lovely . . . . This dark fantasy about survival and transformation is as mesmerizing as its urban faery subjects." – Booklist

Readers will be drawn in by Marr’s darkly poetic imagery and language, her vivid portrayal of the art of tattooing, and her shadowy love triangle. This is indeed a delicious, smoky delight." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"This urban fairy tale...is impossible to put down." -- School Library Journal (starred review)

As you can tell it got a lot of praise and it was good-enjoyable and stimulating book! Pick it up!

-She Who Reads A Lot

Wicked Lovely

Summary: Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention. Well Aislinn has just broken her number one rule. She has hidden in the mortal world pretending never to notice all the faeries and fey she sees every day around her. Well now Aislinn has attracted the attention of a faery—a king faery to be exact. She tried so hard to avoid them and now that they’re here and have their eyes set on her there’s no way out. Aislinn is thrown into the world she was taught to fear she knows that everything is at risk: Her freedom, her life, Seth, everything.

My Review: This book I’ve heard great things about. Great things that were justly earned. It wraps you in right from the summary. The characters are appealing (Seth especially!) and likable. The plot was original, though the idea of faeries and Sight can be slightly overused. It was captivating. The love triangle was amusing and trying to weave in the real world and the faery world was believable. What I loved about this book is it was not only was it about Keenan and Aislinn but it was also about the faery and real world. IT was like although Aislinn and Keenan were main characters they aren’t the main focus Marr doesn’t lose sight of the world and the plot at all. I can’t wait to finish Ink Exchange.

All in all, a great book.

Rating: 4.7/5 good book but not quite up to that 5/5.

Reviews from the pros:
“Marr adds elegantly to the sub-genre of Urban Faery with this enticing fantasy.” –Annette Curtis Klause, The Washington Post

“Keeps you on the edge of your seat. This debut reads like the work of a seasoned pro.”—Charles De Lint, author of the Blue Girl

“A fully imagined faery world that even non-fantasy (or faerie) lovers will want to delve into.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Now I’m off to finish Ink Exchange! Enjoy!

~She Who Reads a Lot

Beka Cooper: Terrier

Note: I've already reviewed this book, but it was a crappy review so I deleted it and am reposting it in the proper form.
Summary: "I well knew the rules to follow with our training Dogs: Speak when you're spoken to. Keep out of the way. Obey all orders. Get killed on your own time." -Beka Cooper

Beka Cooper is one of the newest Trainees for the Provost's Dogs Guard in Tortall's capital city. A Puppy who's eager to prove herself and to be the Puppy who fastest made it to Dog. However, Beka is assigned to the Lower City, Corus's toughest district. She'll have to learn faster and fight harder than she ever bargained for. The Lower City is filled with the fastest pickpockets, nasty Rogues, murderers with hidden plans, and flirty-rusher friends. When Beka gets wind of a string of murders happening right under the Dogs' nose, she can't resist the scent and trails it. All the while she is also tracking the Shadow Snake, a child's nightmare become a child murderer. She'll have to use her own brand of magic and her friends if she ever hopes to survive her first year.

"This is the beginning of Beka's story, her legend, her legacy..."

Review: First off, you do not have to read any of Tamora Pierce's other Tortall series to understand this book. I didn't, I wasn't even aware of who Tamora Pierce was! Terrier is a great story and to me that's a much bigger compliment then just saying the book is good, it's told from Beka's point of view via her journal. It's a bit on the longer side (568 pages), so be prepared. Pierce does an amazing job with the journal format; making it feel extremely real. I guarentee by the fourth chapter you'll forget you're reading her journal. Ah let's see characters? Pierce creates such an array of cast of characters, you're bound to find someone you love. Whether the righteous and brave Beka herself, or her Dog partners Tunstall, or Goodwin. Or as I did, take a great loving for the Rusher Rosto The Piper, and his slight flirtations with Beka.

What I really love about this book? It's just action nonstop, this book is perfect for any girl who loves kick-ass heroines because I have never met a heroine who can hold her own like Beka can. It takes a very cool spin on fighting, and on the dangerous world of criminals. Tamora Pierce shows just how blurry the line can be between the law and the criminals. In short: You'll be rooting for Beka the entire way, it's impossible not to! Everything about this book just wrapped me in, and enough so that I could read it twice in one year. Go pick it up, seriously!

Rating: 5/5 It's one of the few books I can re-read with never getting tired of and that in itself is probably the biggest compliment. I can't give it anything below a 5/5.

Reviews from The Pros:
"Pierce tries out a new style of storytelling and succeeds admirably...With its rolllicking adventure, appealing characters, and inclusion of Tortall's history, Terrier, will be in strong demand by Pierce's fans. It will keep readers on the edge of their seats." --School Library Journal

"Pierce's leisurely, detailed introduction and exploration of characters result in a diverse and memorable cast." --The Bulletin

"Having followed her signature heroine into the next generation with her Trickster duet, Pierce now looks back into the history of Tortall and finds another fierce, lovable gal who won't take any guff...Pierce deftly handle the novel's journal structure, and her clear homage to the police-procedural genreapplies a welcome twist to the girl-legend-in-the-making story line." --Booklist

"The fun of this offering is in the dynamic characterization and action that takes readers to Beka's inveitable triumph. Beka--who narrates her story via diary--is appealing in her dedication to her fellow Lower City dwellers, and sketches of her compatriot Dogs adn the criminals they sometimes apprehend and sometimes befriend are equally deft. Indeed, perhaps the book's greatest strength is its raw portayal of the fine line between law and lawlessness in teh choices Dogs make as they do their jobs." --The Horn Book Magazine

Pick it up!
-She Who Reads A Lot

Pretties

Summary: Tall Young blood is officially pretty. It’s everything she imagined when she was ugly; the parties, the drinks, the most stunning people around. She’s even apart of the coolest clique the Crims. How can life get much better than that? One problem though no matter how hard she tries Tally can’t seem to be totally pretty-headed like Shay like the rest of her friends. This irks Tally to no end but she pushes it off as a bad hangover forgetting all her past ugly experiences. Until Croy and a few other smokies crash a pretty party with a simple message for Tally: ‘Valentino 217’. Tally and the leader of the crims Zane soon find Valentino 217 and find the cure along with a letter ugly Tally wrote to herself. Soon the idea of being ‘bubbly’ is all the rage and Tally, Zane, and the rest of the Crims are out to find the cure to be completely bubbly. This leads Tally back out to the wilderness to find a permanent cure and on the way discover more about their disturbing society. Even as a pretty Tally YoungBlood is still playing tricks.

Review: Note: Sorry that summary just about sucked. I’m so tired my brain isn’t functioning so this whole review may suck. Anyways, I finally finished Pretties! Gosh, it took me a month (^^;; I’m slow). I really liked it though, not as much as the first one. Zane was a admirable character edition and I liked him. Tally got a little tiring, but Westerfeld is able to keep attention with his plot. We find out more about this disturbing society, especially when Tally meets a ‘savage’ called Andrew. In Uglies you are sort of eased into the plot and Tally’s world, this is not the case in Pretties. Westerfeld throws you in at chapter one and doesn’t let up. Constantly Tally is making new discoveries and more and more people are finding out about the operation and helping the New Smoke grow. Westerfeld spends this book building up the suspense and leaving a lot of questions unanswered, building to what I hope is a climatic finish in Specials. All in all I liked it a lot and it was a decent follow up to Uglies.


Rating: 4.5/5 not as good as the first, still a great book.

Reviews from the Pros: TBA (When I get the energy to look them up)


Happy reading!
-She Who Reads A Lot

Sloppy Firsts

Summary: Jessica Darling’s life just about ends when her best friend in the entire world, Hope Weaver, moves away across the country. Hope is leaving her to fend by herself with the annoying and skanky clueless crew, flirtatious Scotty, her bitchy sister Bethany’s wedding, and her parents who never understand her. On top of all this her period is officially MIA, and the mysterious Marcus Flutie has taken an interest in her life. Jessica Darling has an awful lot on her plate for just a sixteen year old.

Review: Okay, I am extremely iffy about my opinion on this book. I have friends who absolutely adored it and begged me to read it, so I did. I’m not sure I love it as much as they do. There is no doubt in my mind that Megan McCafferty is an amazing writer, and that this book is very well-written and believable. However, I had a big problem with Jessica. I couldn’t relate to her at all, literally the one part in the book that had me like ‘hey that’s me!’ was this part: “But I can’t think of anything (track, student council, Key Club, and so on) that gets me as psyched as that. Or as giddy as the Clueless Crew gets from organizing a pep rally or decorating the Jocks’ lockers before a big game. I wish I were artistic, like Hope. That’s passion. That’s something to get excited about. I do everything I do because it will look good on my college applications. Depressing isn’t it?”(pg 39).

Then from there on in the book, I didn’t relate to her or any of her friends. I found her very whiny and, excuse my language, bitchy. I found myself reading the book (fairly quickly I might add, it was an easy book to get through) waiting for something to happen and it never did. It was high school. Plain and simple it really was, and McCafferty does a splendid job making it realistic. I felt like the only real character development was at the end when she made the decision to tell Hope everything, besides that she remained mostly the same. It was a great book, I just did not enjoy it as much as other probably did.

My bottom line here is: It was a fabulously written realistic book, not my cup of tea.

Rating: 4/5 I’ve got to give such a well crafted book its props, even if I wasn’t the hugest fan.

Review from the Pros:
“Sloppy Firsts captures, in spare, truthful prose, the exquisite pain and ecstasy of being besotted by your best friend. The reader may flinch, but Megan McCafferty never does.” –Emma Forest, Author of Namedropper

“Sloppy Firsts is a spirited, down-the-rabbit-hole adventure in the madcap subculture of high school. With remarkable insight, tenderness, and with, Megan McCafferty offers us a compassionate, clear-eyed tale of how a sassy young woman survives teenage-hood.” –Laurie Fox, Author of My Sister From The Black Lagoon

“Sloppy Firsts perfectly captures the turbulent roller-coaster ride that is being a teenager. This is an intimate, (at times) painfully honest peek at a girl’s coming of age. Getting to know Jessica is like meeting a new best friend. I miss her already.” –Atoosa Rubenstein, editor in chief of Cosmogirl!

“Such a sharp, funny, poignant heroine, with an inner world we can all relate to.” -Sophie Kinsella, Author of Confessions of a Shopaholic

About My Blog!

So, I decided to give a little background info on my blog. I’m sure not many of you care, but this is to just clear any questions up. So here we go! ^^

Background story: Boredom and Wanting to try something new. That’s why I started this blog, I read a lot [compared to most normal teenagers anyways, I have friends who read more than I do] and I love to write and ramble. Not going to lie there, I’m good at rambling I talk a lot. Whenever I get the chance to, I’m broadcasting my opinion and I figure this had to get annoying to my friends, I can be obnoxious I think. So I thought, ‘Hey why not start a book blog?’ I could rant about my books without annoying people and could practice my writing skills! Double whammy! Turns out it’s also a nice stress reliever [here’s an interesting fact for you: I am a very stressed person. Like literally, whenever I went to physical therapy my physical therapist would complain ‘Will you loosen up!? Your muscles are way tight for a 16 year old!’]. Anywho! [I told you I like to ramble!] I had read a few books blogs before I read Word For Teens religiously, and Nicole is my major inspiration, even though she doesn’t know I exist. So my book blog is mainly a way for me to share opinions and get some ranting in.

Format: My format of the blog is rather simple actually.

Image: Obviously an image of the book. I find that the cover is what attracts me an awful lot to a book, so if you’re one of those people who just glances at a cover and is like ‘hey that looks cool!’ This part is for you.

Summary: Obviously. My summary of the book, it will most likely contain plot secrets. I am terrible at keeping them, I’ll try to keep them out…but you have been warned.

Review: Uh…duh. My Review/opinion/ranting of the book.

Rating: I rate out of five, which makes it difficult for me to rate a book because I do enjoy a great many books and out of five does not give me much leeway. Many times I will also give an explanation for the rating and why it didn’t get 5/5.
Reviews from the Pros: Okay, this category is a little lame. It’s just when I read a book I often flip to the praise of the book before hand. So basically I’m not doing anything intricate with this section, its just the little snippets you’ll read in the front or back of the book. I do often spend time looking at reviews on the internet before this section but mostly I’m cheap and just take from the front of back of the book.

And that is it! I know this is nothing exciting, but I figured maybe some people would want to know. Well I am off to finish Sloppy Firsts! That review should be up fairly soon FYI. Enjoy my random blog till then!
-She Who Reads A Lot

City of Bones

Summary: [Gosh how do you sum this book up!? It’s 485 pages long!] As far as Clary Fray knows she’s a completely ordinary girl. She’s got a guy best friend, a over-protective artist mom, she’s nothing special as far as she knows. Until one night when in a club in New York she witnesses a murder by a bunch of strange looking teenagers. It’s all downhill from there in the next 24 hours her mother is kidnapped and her apartment is overrun with demons, and Clary almost gets killed by a demon herself. From here on out she is thrust into a world of magic, demons, and shadowhunters. With the help of the handsome shadowhunter Jace Wayland and his friends, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, Clary races to figure out where her mother is and how to save her. All along the way figuring out secret doors to her past she never knew existed.

Review: Okay, so I just spent the last half hour looking up reviews on Amazon and it would seem to me that this book is very love it or hate it. Me? I am completely and totally in love with this book. I should start by saying that Cassandra Clare is an amazing writer and more importantly story-teller. She let’s the plot flow, and the dialogue and humor never seemed force. Everything flowed the right way and just the way she writes puts you in the situation. There were characters that I wasn’t particularly fond of and yet when they were in a dangerous situation I was freaking out and praying they would not die. I did put it down (darn school pressuring me!), but I never wished to. I loved all the characters; I found the array of cast to be somewhat original and refreshing. You, at least, did not see the same kind of character twice in the book. Putting the mostly original and captivating plot aside, Clare just has a way with writing that makes this book so utterly compelling. My only problem was the length, I would feel like I made a good dent in the book and I would close the book and see that I’d only made it a quarter of the way through!

Sorry for the rambling guys! I did love the book though. Basically pick it up and at least give it a chance. If you don’t like it okay, if you do good! As for the plot twist at the end: have faith in the author guys! I was honestly so into the book that the ending twist didn’t disturb me as much as I’m sure it did others. Probably because I have extreme faith in an author’s power to tie things together in the end. So let’s hope that’s what we find in City of Ashes and City of Glass!

Rating: 5/5

Reviews from the pros:

“Funny, dark, and sexy one of my favorite books,” –Holly Black

"Fans of...Buffy the Vampire Slayer will instantly fall for this series."-Publishers Weekly

"Reminiscent of the Harry Potter series--and that's hight praise!"-teensreadtoo.com, five star rating and Gold Star Award Review

New York Time Best Seller