Review: Beautiful Darkness

Title: Beautiful Darkness
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Date Released: October 12, 2010
Pages: 503
Rating: 4.5 out of 5



Description:
Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.
Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Review:

Well after i read Beautiful Creatures and found out how AMAZING it was i couldn't WAIT to read Beautiful Darkness and i had to wait a while to get my hands on it but it was SO very worth it.
The summary doesn't give a lot of the book away, and to me was really confusing and intriguing. This book had what i love most about great novels - the suspense and the fact you had no idea what was going to happen next. Ethan has a great mystery to solve in this book, and in the end, every single detail is tied up together in a conclusion that you wouldn't expect. And it's really amazing, because of the surprises and what the characters discover about themselves and others.
Beautiful Darkness isn't as focused on the human world like Beautiful Creatures, where Lena, the Caster is the outcast, but opens a whole new Caster world where Ethan is now the intruder. It's really interesting, because a lot is left unsaid about Lena's world and this book opens a lot of it up. It kind of gives the novel a mystical quality, but since some things are left unexplained, and its so much more fantasy-like, it gives the reader a harder time to relate to it and make it real, so i have it a 4.5 :) This doesn't change how fantastic the book is, because it so full of surprises and revelations.
However, though the book is mainly focused on Lena's world, Lena herself is missing for a great deal of the book, which disappointed me, because Lena's and Ethan's bond was a great factor in Beautiful Creatures and to have it kind of dissipate in Beautiful Darkness made me miss it a lot. While Lena is missing, some new characters come into play too, and Ethan discovers a lot in his human world is intertwined in the Caster world, and maybe he's not the only one in the know....;)
The addition of the new characters was really exciting for me, and it's surprising the amount of depth the authors manage to give them despite the limited time some of them spend in the novel. I love how Link becomes a much more important character and how some of his virtues are revealed in this book. A new human girl also comes into play, called Liv (and she's BRITISH :O) and i really do like her personality, but at the same time, she does get in the way of Ethan and Lena's relationship
Which also brings up the love triangle(s) that forms in this book. WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. HIGHLIGHT TO READ

Since Lena leaves Gatlin to travel with half Incubus John out of guilt of her thinking she's responsible for Macon's death, and Ethan is left alone to bond with Liv, a kinda complicated double love triangle forms. And though its easier for each to be with another, due to the complications that a Caster and a mortal can never be together, i love the determination and strength Lena and Ethan eventually prove in the end, because of all that true love stuff thats goopy but really makes your heart ache :)

ANYWAY, in conclusion, this is an amazing sequel to Beautiful Creatures, and if you enjoyed that, Beautiful Darkness just ups the epic-ness of the series :D i loved love LOVED it and you should definitely pick it up if you haven't yet :)

Cover Review: The font is in keeping to the one from Beautiful Creatures, only it's blue, and i love the swirls. The background is simply of stairs, but that represents a lot about Ethan's adventures in this book through the tunnels....its dark, simple, but gives a good representation of the mystical-ity of the book :D

keep reading folks!
signing off
MarMar<3

Do You Like to Bake?

Hey everyone!

I know this is kind of random and not really related to books at all, unless I guess you like eating yummy baked goods while reading, but my little sister LOVES baking.  She's constantly baking practically every weekend, even on school days sometimes.  She decided to create a blog dedicated to baking and fashion, her two favorite things in the world.  It's called A Teaspoon of Sugar and you can click that link to check it out :D 
Her Persimmon Cake is to die for!!  I ate 2 pieces yesterday... It's really unbelievably good.  I'm not even kidding.  I thought it would be gross, but trust me, it's the best.

Cleo :)

Review: Nightshade

Title: Nightshade
Author: Andrea Cremer
Date Released: October 19th, 2010
Pages: 454
Rating: 4 out of 5


Description:
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Review:
This book was really good!  I pretty much loved it from start to finish!  This book was pretty action packed, full of drama, betrayal and secrets.  And you can never forget the love triangle!  I was pretty much torn between Seamus (aka Shay) and Renier (aka Ren), Calla's love interests, but settled with Ren (I'll explain later).  YAY! GO TEAM REN!

One thing that I absolutely loved about this book was the characters!!! Even though there were quite a few (there are already 10 characters in all when you count the whole pack), they were memorable and not confusing at all!  I have like short-term memory so, I think that if you told me the name of a character I wouldn't give you a blank/confused expression, I think I would know immediately who that person is.  I loved how all the characters were so diverse and all had different interests, and you can clearly see the difference between the Nightshade and Bane pack.  Calla was an awesome protagonist!!  She was strong and very smart, basically what every other girl out there in the world should be like. 

One thing that I didn't really like about Nightshade was that there were some major parts that sort of felt like when that part happened, it was like it was no big deal or it just happened way to fast and it was just sort of thrown upon you.  Maybe that wasn't the case for everyone and it's possible that I could have missed something, but that's how I felt.  But that's the only thing that I didn't like.  The rest was great :D

Another thing that I loved (sorry for switching between things I liked and didn't like): the plot!!!  The plot was pretty much really good, despite what I said above.  It's still really captivating and as I said before, it's full of action, drama, betrayal, sacrifices, and secrets. 

Now on to why I'm Team Ren (you can skip this if you want, may contain spoilers, highlight if you want to read it!): Honestly, it was hard choosing a side!  But I sided with Ren maybe out of pity?  I just felt bad for him because in the beginning he was kind of like the player, but then eventually he started developing feelings for Calla, right?  But then Calla just sort of left him... Oh, he also sounds really hot :D I feel really weird for saying that... but yeah!  He totally does.  Who agrees with me?

Basically, to sum it all up (if you don't really want to read the whole thing),  AWESOME book!  Everything was great from the character to the plot!  It was just that one little thing that I didn't like so much about it.  But other than that, I loved it!  I cannot wait for Wolfsbane coming out next year (July 26) ... and Bloodrose coming out in 2012.  Oh dear, that sounds like a really long time.  GO REN!

Cover Review:
If I had to use one word for this cover, I think I'd go with: gorgeous.  Isn't it so pretty?  From the lilies (or are they nightshades? :/ ) to the model and to the title, it just totally explains the book!  AND IT'S PURPLE!  I'm sorry but I'm a purple fanatic!!

I also wanted to know, Are my reviews too lengthy?  I noticed that this one sort of is and I just wanted to know so I can improve and maybe next time cut down on all of my explanations and stuff... Or do you guys think that it's fine?

Cleo :)

*Description from Goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased.

Busting the Newbie Blues :)

Over at Small Review, there's an event called Busting the Newbie Blues that's going on!  It's really cool and if you're a newbie to blogging, or you're a more of an experienced blogger, you should head on over and fill out the questionnaire, and maybe meet some new bloggers.  This event is going from December 3rd to the 31st!







1.When did you start your blog?
Well, it first started off as just me, but then the next day Margaret and Baylee joined in.  Whoops, I went off topic, but basically we started in early August.  I think it was August 7th?  Sometime around there.  So, yeah around 4 months... I consider ourselves newbies because we're still trying to get into the swing of things :)

 2.Why did you start your blog?
I started this blog because I saw another book blog and I thought that this was such a cool idea and I LOVE reading and could never really recommend it to anyone because most kids at my school don't enjoy reading, or read the kind of books that I read... So, I thought that this was just a great idea to get my opinions out!

 3.What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Hmm... Nothing really... Maybe it was the awards... Like the Versatile Blogger Award.  It took me two months to finally publish it!  I was just too lazy to chose and contact all 15 bloggers that I chose... I know... Bad Cleo :(

 4.What do you find most discouraging about being a new blogger?
Well, maybe it's hard getting followers who will read your blog at first, but don't let that discourage you!  
 5.What do you find most encouraging?
When people comment and appreciate what we post.  It's like the best thing ever and makes me really happy!

 6.What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog?
I like that they try and post as many times as they can.  I try doing this on Booklopedia, but sometimes school gets in the way... but we do more than 20 posts each month, so that's good, right?  I think that this month, especially because we're going to have a winter break, we should try aiming at at least 30 posts :)

 7.What do you dislike about blogs you’ve read? Do you try to avoid this?
Sometimes I don't really like it when they don't update it... Or they do but only like several times a month.  I do try to avoid this as much as I can.  I try to post at least everyday, but sometimes it doesn't happen... But it doesn't mean that I stopped blogging!  I just have lots of homework, and like yesterday's incident, I had no Internet connection for a while.

 8.Any advice for other new bloggers?
Don't worry if you feel like you're never going to get any followers or if you feel like no one's ever going to find out about your blog!  The first person that ever followed Booklopedia (besides Baylee hehe) was a total stranger and I didn't even know how they found out about our blog... But it totally made my day :)  It definitely takes time and you have to be patient, even though it might be weird for a while if you feel like you're talking to nobody.

 9.Anything else you’d like to share about your experience?
This is definitely really fun!  I love being able to share my opinions and get my voice out about the books that I read. 

 10.Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your blog?
Hmm... well we mostly read YA books, and we're three best friends that met (and lived) in China!  Right now we're just kind of like all over the USA... like two of us are in the West Coast, and the other one of us is all the on the other side of the country.  Also, if you see that most of the posts are from me (Cleo), then it's because I'm kind of like the main contributor... I'm working on getting Margaret and Baylee to post as regularly as possible ;) 


Cleo :)

Infinity Review

Basic Information
Title: Infinity
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Pages: 448
Published/Publisher: May 25th 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Synopsis: 
At 14, Nick Gautier (GO-SHAY) is an average kid who runs with the wrong crowd. But on the night he decides to go straight and refuses to mug an innocent tourist, his crew turns on him and just as he thinks his life is over... a new one begins. Kyrian of Thrace isn't just a vampire slayer, he's a Dark-Hunter and he introduces Nick to a world that he never imagined. With new enemies who make his old ones look like wimps, Nick must either measure up or get sized for a body bag. It's kill or be killed and this kid who was born on the wrong side finds a strength inside him that he never knew existed.


Now if he can only find someone to help battle the demons that don't reside inside him.


Review:


I LOVED THIS BOOK.


That statement just needed to be on it's own. I had my eye on this book for some time and then I saw my friend from school reading so I decided it was time to buy it. It is NOTHING like what I usually read. I actually try to stay away from books with zombies and such. But this book was HI-LARIOUS! I don't know how many times Sherrilyn Kenyon had me laughing out loud because of something Nick said. He is the most sassy, sarcastic, witty (I don't care which one you choose seeing how they all mean the same thing) child I have ever read about. A lot of YA books are written from a girl's perspective now-a-days and I just loved hearing this story from Nick. 
It's only the first book so he doesn't exactly know why all these weird things are happening to him, but I know Nick is going to swallow his fear, toss out a few smart-aleck remarks a long the way, and kick some B-U-T-T. His father...well lets just say he's spoiler content, but he hasn't been around and nick's mom has had too...ah erm..."dance".. to help support them. Nick goes to a fancy school that he had to pass an entrance exam for and is on a scholarship. This is something else that I love because by the way he talks (he lives in New Orleans) and his living conditions, you'd think he'd be uneducated but he is actually smarter than most of the kids at his school. Of course there is also a bit of forbidden love going on here but I don't think the author plans to develop it until the second book. Now I'm sure some of you went "Uhhhh...zombies?? Yea...NO", but zombies aren't a part of the big plot. They were actually what helps Nick realize he is so different. As in "he has powers" different. Now just like Nick, the reader isn't exactly sure what he can do, but this just makes me want to read the second book! I highly recommend this book for people who are interested in reading something different, funny, and well, just a really good read!


XoXo~Baylee~

Linger Review

Book Name: Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls)
Author/Publisher/Date published: Maggie Stiefvater/Scholastic Press/July 13th 2010
Pages: 362
Rating: 3 1/2 stars (:
Synopsis:
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.


At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love - the light and the dark, the warm and the cold - in a way you will never forget.


Review


Linger was a beautiful sequel to Shiver, that came with an unexpected ending. Stiefvater, in my own opinion, is an author that takes her time when it comes to the creation of her plot. By reading Shiver and Linger, I have come to find that she is a very creative and romantic writer, but her books can get a little "slow" in certain areas.


*Spoiler- if you have not read Shiver do not highlight this sentence*
---> I also love how she focused on Sam getting his life back on track now that he has become human again, and that she puts a lot of responsibility on him now that Beck is gone.


Stiefvater starts to put a great deal of emphasis on how lost Sam truly is. It seems that no matter what path Sam takes something is always going to come at him and catch him by surprise. The fact that he keeps going really proves what a strong character he is. Grace on the other hand has always been a bit of a, for lack of a better word, push over to me. She tries to please her parents and doesn't convey her feelings of neglect to them. So I love that Striefvater gave her more of a backbone in Linger. It lets readers know that no matter who they are, no one can control you unless you let them.


She -Stiefvater- does a wonderful job tying in the mundane actions of Grace and Sam's lives into the story. She starts to write about Sam's music career and I think she develops their relationship a lot. She made them feel very solid. Which was nice because usually everything is constantly rocky with relationships in YA romance books. I also found it refreshing that there was no love triangle. I don't know why I'm sure it's just because they're so over-used. It keeps the book closer to reality while still giving her plenty of room to write her fairytale love story. Although I did love the ending, it really got me wondering about what Stiefvater was going to do in the next book. Will Grace and Sam have a happy ending in the third book? Will another complication arise with the wolf pack? What does Sam plan on doing about his music career? What will happen between Cole and Isabelle, will he be able to find a cure? So many questions, but will they all be answered in the third book of The Wolves of Mercy Falls series? Well, we all have to wait for that answer.






XoXo~Baylee~

All I Want for Christmas Is... (6)

This is a weekly meme that's hosted by Danya @ A Tapestry of Words, where every week up until Christmas, you choose a book that you would like to see under your tree! You also have to say why, which shouldn't be too hard :)

This week, I want: Matched Ally Condie

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.


The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Who doesn't want this book???  It's probably on everyone's wishlist this year!

Cleo :)

*Description from Goodreads.com

Follow Friday (16)

YIPEE! It's Follow Friday!!  This is a weekly meme that was created by Parajunkee's View :)

This week's question:

What do you do besides reading / reviewing as a hobby??

Umm... I guess you could say that I do tennis as well...  But it's just for fun, I don't play competitvely.  Does homework count as a hobby too?

Sorry if we've been sort of been missing this week... I had lots of homework, and I'm sure that Margaret and Baylee did too.  And today, when I actually had some time to go on, I started freaking out because the Internet connection wasn't working.  But then, magically, it started working again.  Silly Internet... :D  I'm working on a review for Nightshade, so you guys should expect that sometime soon! 

ALSO! We've reached over 100 followers!!!  I think that we're going to have a giveaway to celebrate and thank you guys for being so awesome, but it's still in its planning stages. 

Hope you guys have a great weekend!

Cleo :)

Versatile Blogger Award!!!

YAY!  I received the Versatile Blogger Award from Hafsah at Icey Books, Kate at Literary Explorations, Carmel at Rabid Reads and Julia at That Hapa Chick!  Thanks Hafsah, Kate, Carmel and Julia!!!  If you guys saw this post and realized that you awarded us this award a while ago, I apologize because I have had this for a while... I know, I'm horrible :(  But anyways, THANKS SO MUCH AND YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME :D

There are four things that you have to do when you receive this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave this award.
2. Write 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.
4. Contact the bloggers you have picked to let them know about the award.

Here are 7 (random) things about me:

1. My favorite color in the whole entire world is: PURPLE!
2. My favorite TV shows include: Supernatural (GO DEAN!), The Vampire Diaries, Bones, America's Next Top Model, House, Hellcats and Glee.
3. I have the most awesome bookend ever: It's a dachshund.  I think I'm going to do a post about it later. 
4. My favorite Mexican food is enchiladas and my favorite Italian foods are ravioli or lasagna.  If you ever see me eating Mexican or Italian foods, it's always either one of these (pizza may be an exception though... although, I think pizza should have its own food group)
5. I choke on my water very often... I really don't know why. 




This is the vicious, but cute and
fluffy doggy :)


6. I LOVE ANIMALS!  I think I might want to be a vet when I grow up.  I especially love dogs.  I have two of my own, and they're pretty darn cute (even though one of them's actually really vicious (he was never socialized properly)... he's our first dog so he was kind of like an experiment... and it sort of failed, but he's so cute!!)
7. I lived in China for 3 1/2 years... It was an awesome experience and REALLY fun and I miss living there.  It was probably the best time of my life :)

Yep!  That should be a little bit about me :D


Here are the 15 bloggers that I have chosen:

• Vision Quest Fail
• Cari's Book Blog
• The Book Scoop
• Hobbitsies
• The Grammarian's Reviews
• Epic Booknerd
• YA Bookie Monster
•  Books are like People
• Nice Girls Read Books
• Diary of a Book Lover
• Call Me Crazy
• Ivy's Reads
• Small Review
• Loren Chase
• Brush Up On Your Reading

YES! 15 bloggers!!!  That took me a while, but you guys have awesome blogs and I totally enjoy reading them!!

Cleo :)

Follow Friday (15)

It's Follow Friday, which was started at Parajunkee's View :)  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

No question this week :(

Cleo :)

All I Want for Christmas Is... (5)

This is a weekly meme that's hosted by Danya @ A Tapestry of Words, where every week up until Christmas, you choose a book that you would like to see under your tree! You also have to say why, which shouldn't be too hard :)

This week, I want: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.



With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.


For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I've heard so many great things about this book, and Baylee's read it and said that it was good, too... So I think that I definitely need it now!

Cleo :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!



Doesn't that just make your
mouth water???



I'm personally excited today because of the turkey, awesome stuffing that my mom makes, and PIE!  Yes, I ♥ pie.  I think I like pumpkin pie the most, but my mom (the head chef) decided to skip out on that one this year.  Instead we're having a pumpkin roll... But at least there will be some apple pie!

Basically, this year I'm thankful for:

• My friends and family (as always!),
• BOOKS!,
• All the authors that write the fabulous books I read :D, 
• All the followers who follow this blog,
• Smiles and laughter :),
• Shelter and food AND,
• School (even though you supply me with endless amounts of homework)

What are you guys thankful for?

Have a great Thanksgiving!
Cleo :)

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

It's Waiting on Wednesday today!  This is a weekly meme, which is brought to you by Jill at Breaking the Spine!!! This meme is where you can post a post about what you're really look forward to. And I'm always looking forward to new releases :)


This week I'm waiting for...

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Releasing on: January 11th, 2011

Description:

When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York—and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari's family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future.

When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?

I think that this sounds really good!  And I love the cover as well!

Cleo :)



*Description from Goodreads.com

Cover Crazy (1): Vampire Kisses

Cover Crazy is a new meme that was created by Tawni at The Book Worms.

This week, I'm going crazy over the the Vampire Kisses series. 



Cryptic Cravings #8

Why I'm going crazy over these?

• I love how they portray the goth-ness of Raven and how it's not really creepy, but elegant
• There's always red lipstick that pops out!
• The title font is REALLY pretty :)

So what do you guys think?

Cleo :)

Teaser Tuesday (7)

It's Tuesday today, so obviously it means it's Teaser Tuesday!  I haven't done this in a while (again...).  This is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. 

And here are the guidelines (if you want to join in):

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I hadn't seen Shay in the cafeteria during lunch, and now his regular seat in our afternoon class remained vacant.  I scribbled a few more notes and tried to tell myself that it didn't matter."

    -- pg. 153 of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Review: Bright Young Things

Title: Bright Young Things
Author: Anna Godbersen
Date Released: October 12th, 2010
Pages: 389
Rating: 5 out of 5

Description:
The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star…

Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.

The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.

Review:
I was waiting to get this book in my hands for a while!  I loved Godbersen's The Luxe series, and she really gets me reading historical fiction.  I'm not the biggest fan, and when the genre that was picked for my book club at school was historical fiction, of course I let out a little moan... or something like that.  But then, I realized... I can totally go and get Anna Godbersen's latest book! 

I totally agree with the description, this is "an epic new series!"  This book kind of flew by really fast... I'd pick up the book, read a few pages, put it down, then look at how much I've read, and think, "Whoa!  I've read so many pages and SO MANY THINGS HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED!"  Before I knew it, I was done (even though it took me about a week... don't judge me! I'm just a slow reader).  The plot just totally absorbs you and you can't help but just read on.  There are also so many unexpected twists that make you gasp and keep reading until you're just about done with the book. 

The setting was beautiful, too.  It was kind of like The Luxe, but New York just seems so much more fascinating this time because of the descriptions of all the tall building and bright lights and night.  I thought it was also amazing how Godbersen switched from the late 1800's/early 1900's to the 20's, but also makes the 20's seem so much more likable than the time frame in The Luxe.  The characters were pretty lovable as well, although I couldn't really get into any of the guy's that each of the girls fell in love with.  They were all so-so.  Actually, I think that I liked Thom a little bit... But then... this thing happened... and if you want to know what it is, then get the book!  You know you want to :)

Overall, it's defintely a promising start to Godbersen's new series!  I'm really excited and cannot wait for the next book which is called Beautiful Days.  If you like historical fiction, I'd recommend anything by Anna Godbersen because she writes about really intriguing times in history that will really captivate you.

Cover Review:
I love this cover!  It kind of has the same concept as the covers for The Luxe series, but this time the model has the clothing that they probably wore during the 20's, which is beautiful :)  And the font for the title really fits the book.

Cleo :)

*Description from Goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

This is my first challenge ever, and the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren looked like a lot of fun to participate in!  I think that the rules are pretty much to the point, like you have to read at least 12 books, and they must all be from debut authors :)

I think that for next year, I'm planning to read:

• Across the Universe by Beth Revis (1/11)
• Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (1/11)
• Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (1/14)
• Where I Belong by (2/8)
• Falling Under by Gwen Hayes (3/1)
• Wither (3/22)
• Possession by Elana Johnson (6/7)

And that's is for now!  If you have any suggestions, feel free to suggest any other debut author books that you know of!  If you want to sign up, just go here.


Cleo :)

City of Bones The Mortal Instruments

Basic Information
Title: City of Bones
Publisher/Published date: March 27th 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry
Author: Cassandra Clare
Rating: 4 out of 5
Pages: 485


Sypnosis:


When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?




This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .


Review


Cassandra Clare obviously put a lot of thought not only into the characters, her settings, and most of all her plot that seems to have more twists and turns than a maze! At first I thought it would just be another love story between a human (Clary Fray) and someone connected to the supernatural world (Jace ...?). But as it turns out their relationship is one of the most shocking that I have yet to read. My jaw actually dropped a few times. I thought her story was original, and I love how she crafted the history of the Shadowhunters. Clare has diverse characters of all ethnicities and sexual orientations and even though Jace and Clary were the main characters a lot of the other characters played big roles. Also, her cover artwork is beautiful and each book features a different character!


Unfortunately, I felt that sometimes her characters were weak or, in Clary's case, a bit whiney. I had also hoped that the prejudice between Downworlders and Nephilim would not have taken so long to end. Even in the City of Glass the Shadowhunters were very slow to accept the help of the werewolves, warlocks, and fairies. Some of her ideas such as the romantic love triangles were a bit predictable as well. All in all, it's not the greatest book I have ever ever ever read in my life, but I still found it an enjoyable break from the books that I needed to read for school.


XoXo~ Baylee ~

Follow Friday (14)

Woo hoo! It's Friday!  Or, more like Thursday, but Friday's only a couple hours away :)  Follow Friday was created by Parajunkee's View.

This week's question:

How long have you been book blogging?

Just about 3 months... Yeah, we're pretty new at it, and it's felt like forever.  But so far, I've been enjoying doing this!

If this is your first time visiting our blog, just so you know, we're three teenage friends who love reading books and have been dedicating our time to tell people about the amazing books that we read :)  And we mainly read YA books.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Cleo :)

Review: The Iron Daughter

Title: The Iron Daughter
Author: Julie Kagawa
Date Released: August 1st, 2010
Pages: 359
Rating: 5 out of 5


Description:
Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review:
This has got to be the best series ever, next to The Hunger Games, of course.  Wow.  I was just amazed by all the action and adventure in The Iron Daughter, not to mention all the romance.  It really sucked me in and I couldn't stop reading it!!!  After I would have to put the book down, I'd keep thinking about picking it back up again... I was totally addicted to it!

This book is N.O.N S.T.O.P A.C.T.I.O.N.  And I'm seriously not kidding.  It really keeps you on your toes.  They're always on the move or thinking of a plan to retrieve what is lost.  If you love adventure, then this is the series for you.  I really can't keep my excitement down...  This is just pure awesomeness.  And I have no other words for it... Wait, maybe I do.  I think that Kagawa also does a good job of adding new things into the book and series, and expanding more on the knowledge of the Iron Fey.  Even though she adds some more new characters like Leanansidhe, I don't think that I will ever forget them, unlike how I normally do (like in the Blue Blood series...).

In the beginning, when Ash was being a jerk, I wanted to punch him in the face or something sooo badly, because I'm Team Ash and I think he rocks, but he was being mean to Meghan.  But it all came together and I totally understand why, and you can tell that because of his actions, he really loves her.  However, the romance in this book is a love triangle.  We all love those :)  It's pretty predictable... Especially if you've seen the whole Team Ash and Team Puck thing going around :)  I'm not Team Puck because I just think that Puck is more of a best friend to Meghan than Ash.  I like how he's really nice and tries to lighten the mood and make jokes, but sometimes he seems like he's not all that serious.  Personally, I think that people like Ash more because he just seems so mysterious.  And to me, Meghan and him just seem right.  I'm still trying to figure out why they're so right for each other, and I'll get back to you guys on that one.

So, now, I begin my wait for The Iron Queen (February 1st, 2011), and then The Iron Knight (2011).  *Sigh*  But I'll manage.  If you haven't read The Iron King yet, then go out and get it now!  It's amazing!  If you don't believe me, then read my review here.  It's proof of my opinion :P

Cover Review:
Again, this is a very cool cover.  I love the designs and how it's a purple theme this time!  But it's also got this iciness that reminds me of the Winter Court.

Cleo :)