Red Glove (The Curse Workers #2)

Title: Red Glove (Curse Workers #3)
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publishing date: April 5th, 2011
Rating: 4 Stars

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.-GoodReads

Red Glove is the sequel to White Cat. I loved this book, I haven't read anything like it. I love the world, the curses, the crime, the murder, the love, the friendship, the drama, the dysfunctional family. It is addicting.

I've also come to the conclusion that I love Cassel's character. He's sarcastic, well meaning, a conman, totally messed up and he is completely aware of it. I liked his relationship with Lila, as messed up as it was, they are each others equal and they make one heck of a team. They are absolutely vicious. I can't wait to see them meet up in the next book, it's sure to be destructive.

Black would be a great criminal if ever she decided to give up writing and turn to a life of crime. The cons were planned out so well, it's like a work of art. There are so many layers, so many people involved, so many small details and things that come it to play. It's insane.

In a style quite like White Cat the ending was heart breaking and left you wanting more. I can't believe I have to wait a couple of months for Black Heart to come out. I can't wait! I want to find out the conclusion to Cassel and Lila's story. It's sure to be unforgettable.

Inkheart (Inkworld #1)

Title: Inkheart (Inkworld #1)
Author: Cornelia Funke
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publish date: October 1, 2003
Rating: 5 Stars

Meggie lives a quiet life alone with her father, a book-binder. But her father has a deep secret-- he possesses an extraordinary magical power. One day a mysterious stranger arrives who seems linked to her father's past. Who is this sinister character and what does he want? Suddenly Meggie is involved in a breathless game of escape and intrigue as her father's life is put in danger. Will she be able to save him in time?-GoodReads

I discovered this book when the film came out in theaters, oddly enough, it took a few months to discover it was actually based off of a book. The movie was really good but, as always, the book was ten times better. This is one of those unforgettable books, the ones that touch your heart and never leave. This is a book lovers book.

The writing style is great, it makes you feel like your reading a fairytale, like one of the many ones they mention. For a children's book I found Inkheart to be very mature, there's nothing too terrible in it, just a few cuss words, but this maturity leaves room for older audiences to love it. These characters are so painfully human and every single one of them has their flaws and weaknesses. You may not always like the characters but they always act realistically even if their actions are not what you wish they would be. I really respect that.

I love the relationship between Mo and Meggie, he's all she knows and all she needs but he knows of a different time when her mother was there and he misses it and is sad that Meggie doesn't remember and that she doesn't care to. Mo would do anything to protect Meggie and she would do the same.

Elinor rocks! She's a pain but you can relate to her obsession with books. They are her children and her only love. I love how through the books she changes and becomes more caring. I also love how she's always ready to dish out some insults to idiots with weapons.

Dustfinger... I am in love with Dustfinger. He is not a particularly heroic characters, actually, he's not heroic at all. But what he is, is smart and cunning. He misses his world so much he would do anything to get back, no matter the consequences. He's a coward and often runs but when he stays to fight you love him twice as much for it because know how much it took not to run away. He's human. Plus, the fact that he can speak to fire is awesome, and he has a pet Marten.

The idea of fall into the pages of a book that your reading has most likely been a fantasy that many readers have had. To be able to visit our most beloved worlds and meet our favorite characters, to change whats going to happen and make a happy ending. In Inkheart these fantasies come true, once again, within the pages of a book.

I love this book, it's been a favorite of mine for a while now. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Whether you decide to check out the book or the movie I don't care, just experience this story for yourself.

Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves #1)

Title: Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves #1)
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication Date: June 8th, 2010
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?-GoodReads

I can't say that I loved this book. I had a real problem with the romance. Romances where the characters really don't know each other but feel an uncontrollable need to be with each other annoy me. It's just unrealistic and obsessive. Of course when paranormal books are involved you have to give the book a little bit of wiggle room because of outside supernatural influences. I also didn't like how Bryn bossed Chase around. It seemed like she was doing to him what she hated being done to her.

I loved the werewolf world, it feels so realistic. It reminded me a lot of the Mercy Thompson world. As for the characters, Lake ROCKED!!! Who wouldn't love a 15 year old shotgun toting werewolf?! I also loved Devon. Bryn was pretty cool, Chase had a nonexistent personality, and Callum is kinda badass. I loved how his character was portrayed in the last part of the book. I kind of loved him. Speaking of the last part of the book, the ending is epic. It's really cool. If you want to find out what I'm talking about just read it. And another note about the ending,there is no cliff hanger, it feels like a complete book. Everything that the characters set out to do got done. I really appreciated that.

I think this book could have been a bit shorter. As much as I love books, unless their one of my favorites, 400 pages is just too much for me. Overall, besides the puppy dog, brainless romance it was a good book. If you're looking for a werewolf book to read, this isn't a bad one to pick. I enjoyed it despite my grumbling.

Follow Friday

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by: Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This week's question:

Q: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?

I try to keep an open mind about things. A good story is a good story whether it's a western, romance, paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, or contemporary. Of course there are genres that I don't normally seek out such as western, romance, and non-fiction. I try to tell myself that my Grandma's books that have pictures of half naked people on them have just as good of a story contained in their pages as any other book but I can't bring myself to ever pick one up and read it. I would probably blush.

What about you guys? Is there any genre you purposefully avoid?

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2)

Title: A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2)
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: January 10th, 2012
Rating: 5 STARS!

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.-GoodReads

First of all can I just say I love the cover of both Across the Universe and A Million Suns! They are absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to see the cover of book 3, I'm sure it will be just as lovely.

The thing I loved about A Million Suns is that it was just as good as Across the Universe. I literally spent half of the day reading this book, it was so good. I love Beth Revis's writing style, the imagery that is put forth is as clear as a picture. It's so beautiful. Another thing that I love is that the 1st person POV is so real that when the character's mind is in chaos you can feel it. This whole book just feels like a work of art.

STARS AND SILENCE

I loved reading this continuation of Elder and Amy's story. I can truthfully say that I was shocked by the turn of events in the book more than once. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't stop reading. Luckily I finished the book with 45 minutes to spare before my first class. I got a bit annoyed by Amy near the end but I could understand where she was coming from even if I didn't completely agree with her. I love the fact that this book makes you question what you would do in the same situation and since most of the characters hold different opinions you can't just follow them blindly, you have to decide for yourself. It was nice to see Elder stepping up and became the leader he was born to be, I'm sure that he'll have plenty more difficulties to come in the next book. I'm looking forward to it *evil laugh*. I cannot wait for the next book to come out, it's sure to be epic.

Interesting Fact

The murderer in A Million Suns changed with each of Beth Revis's rewrites. The killer changed identities a grand total of three times.

White Cat (The Curse Workers #1)

Title: White Cat (The Curse Workers #1)
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Date: May 4th, 2010
Rating: 3 Stars

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.-GoodReads

The best thing about this book by far was the world that Holly Black built. It was so detailed and it felt real. I love the fact that everything came with a price, especially the magic they worked. If a worker took away a memory, memories were taken from them in the blow back. If a death worker killed something or someone a small part of them died also in the blow back. It took me a couple of chapters to get used to the world but once I did it was great.

The characters were interesting enough. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Cassel for the way his family was. Everyone stabbed each other in the back and the ending showed just how someones best intentions could go wrongly. Cassel himself was the type of person who played a character. He was afraid of who he was so when he was at school he pretended to be a person who blended in with the crowd. By the end of the story I think he was finally able to be himself with his friends.

The writing style was great and I enjoyed the story, but for me it wasn't the greatest. I will probably read the sequel and if the summery interests you I suggest that you read it. It was a good book but for me personally it just didn't have a spark.

Anna Dressed In Blood

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen
Date: August 30, 2011
Rating: 3 Stars

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story. . .

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.-GoodReads

I usually don't read ghost stories but I read Graveminder and I've been rewatching seasons 1 and 2 of Supernatural so I felt in the mood to read Anna Dressed in Blood. I was actually really looking forward to reading this book, but I was kind of disappointed. I was hoping to read a book that was kind of like Supernatural. You know, with a guy traveling around killing ghosts, but the romance kind of killed it for me. It just seemed out of place, I think it could have waited for a later book when the author develops their relationship more. On the plus side there was quite a few gross descriptions thrown in there, so that made it feel more like a horror book.

The characters were ok, not boring or annoying but I didn't feel a connection to Cas or any of the other side characters. There just wasn't any spark. Nevertheless, I will say that Anna was pretty darn cool. She kicked butt. I loved the last battle scene, it was awesome!

I felt like the main villain was rushed. You find out about him half way through the book and then the conclusion just seemed rushed. And can I say I hate Voodoo. Even The Princess and the Frog creeps me out. I just don't like it.

The writing style was good and the story was fine, but at times I think it lacked believability. Overall, it was okay read, I'll probably read the sequel eventually but the book wasn't as good as I had hoped.

The Last Little Blue Envelope

Title: The Last Little Blue Envelope (Little Blue Envelope #2)
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date: April 26th 2011
Rating: 3 Stars

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.-GoodReads

The Last Little Blue Envelope is the sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. It wasn't much better than the first one, in my opinion, but I feel the writing was a tad better, not that the writing was bad in the first one it just got better. Ginny's, once again, character was flat but I think she got a lot more out of this trip than the first. I was disappointed that Johnson didn't get into Oliver's character anymore than she did. His character had a lot of potential for major drama but not much was done. There was a lot of hinting about his character, come to think about it there was more hinting than actual character development, but I kind of liked him in the end. Keith was funny but most of the time he just seemed to be an ass, at first he just seemed to be doing it for Ginny's sake but after a while he just seemed cruel for the sake of being cruel. Ginny really didn't stick up for Oliver much, she didn't like how Keith was acting towards him but for a long time she didn't voice any complaints for a long time and when she did it wasn't strong. This book had a much more satisfactory ending than the first and you begin to think that Ginny really is starting to get it. The traveling was once again a joy to read, I love reading about Europe. I still say this is a 3 star rating but it's closer to a 3 1/2

Graveminder

Title: Graveminder
Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HaperCollins
Date: May 17th 2011
Rating: 3 Stars

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place--and the man--she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. Beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D--a place from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.-Amazon

There were so many great things about Graveminder but I feel that it didn't reach it's full potential. The world was fantastic, both the world of the living and the dead. I love the idea of the Graveminder, someone connected to the dead and watching after them, protecting them, and also making sure they don't ever come back. Also, the Undertaker who's responsible for dealing with the bodies left behind and a partner to the Graveminder.

Marr loves writing from many character points of views and that isn't bad, but it can also connect you with side characters that aren't supposed to be important and in the case of Elizabeth, Alice(I think that's her name), and Amity I feel like she didn't give them satisfactory endings.

The story was a bit slow to start off, considering the length of the story I feel that there should have been more accomplished in the first 150 pages. Rebekkah and Byron were only just their getting into their jobs as Griveminder and Undertaker by the end of the book and it just felt too short, like their should have been more.

Overall, it was an interesting book. It had a great world and storyline and I did enjoy it.

Emily the Stange: The Lost Days

Title: Emily the Strange: The Lost Days(Emily the Strange Novels, #1)
Author: Rob Reger
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2009
Rating: 3 Stars

I can't find a good summery of this book to post so I'll describe it in one sentence. Strange goth girl genius gets amnesia and finds herself in a town called Blackrock that has no black rocks.

In the style of Emily herself I thought I'd write my review in lists of 13 things.

13 Things I Liked About Emily the Strange
1. Emily
2. Amnesia 2
3. The strangeness
4. Pockets with Gallifreyan technology :D
5. Her lists of 13 things
6. Conversations with Raven
7. Her refrigerator box
8. Her inability to not write in her notebook
9. The matchstick Delorean
10.Molly's lines for Raven
11. How she found out she was a cat person not a dog person
12. Refreshing nightmares
13. Her tickets

13 Things I Disliked About Emily the Strange
1. The fact that I can't decide if I liked it or not
2. Calamity Poker
3. Attikol
4. Some of the Stupidness
5. Blackrock
6. I had to read it in short segments
7. More Stupidness
8. I have not become immune to stupidness
9. I still can't decide if I liked it or not
10. um
11. I'm having a really hard time coming up with 13 things
12. Beige
13. Let's just call that 13 things and be done with it

13 Little Blue Envelopes

Title: 13 Little Blue Envelopes (#1)
Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: HarperTeen
Year: 2006

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.-Summery from GoodReads

13 Little Blue Envelopes is a fairly easy read, I finished it in one day. This should have been a book I loved. A teen girl traveling around Europe, it's the type of story I should love reading. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. With every letter Ginny traveled to a different place and with each challenge the trip seemed more pointless. Ginny didn't seem to get anything that her Aunt was trying to tell her, she didn't really enjoy anything, instead she went through Europe like a zombie. I know she just lost her aunt, but really, she should have some reaction to whats going on around her. The side character, Keith, was fun and quirky but Ginny was just flat, she really didn't seem like she had any life in her at all and that did not change by the end of the book. Her travels were interesting, the places she went, the problems she ran into but it would have been more interesting if she had some personality. The ending of the book is somewhat unsatisfactory but I guess that's life, and that's what the author was going for. So, after everything I'm giving this 3 stars mostly just because it's about traveling through Europe.

The Hunter's Moon

Title: The Hunter's Moon (The Chronicles of Faerie, book 1)

Author: O.R. Melling
Publisher: Amulet Books
Year: 2000

Gwen travels to Ireland to visit her cousin Findabhair, expecting a summer of backpacking, late nights, and the usual road trip adventures. But when Findabhair is kidnapped by the King of Faerie, Gwen must race to save her cousin before the rise of the Hunter's Moon, when the fairies need a human sacrifice.-Summery from Goodreads


I've had this book on my shelf for a couple of years now, I've just never got around to reading it until now. It was a fun read, there are a lot of problems I had with the book, but still it was fun. It took me a while to realize that it was written like a fairy tale(yes, I do realize that I am reading a tale about fairies but I'm talking about Fairy Tales, you know, the Grimm kind). There were tests that Gwen had to pass, random friends along the way who helped, people filled with courage and bravery willing to die for something they loved. Nevertheless the down sides to fairy tales were also apparent such as lack of believability, cookie cutter and underdeveloped characters, boring dialogue, and sudden professions of love.
One of my favorite things in the book was the constant adventure Gwen was on traveling around to a lot of Ireland's best Faerie places. And the best part had to be when the Leprechaun was giving Gwen his tour of Dublin, I couldn't help but laugh at his renaming of the statues, like Tart-with-the-Cart.
The thing that makes people like this book, I think, is that it's steeped in legends and folktales. Miller sure did put her B.A. in Celtic Studies to use, every place Gwen went there seemed to be a story to go along with it, everything in the book seemed connected to Faerie in some way. There were so many legends woven into this one story. Like I said, It was a fun read.

Feature & Follow Friday

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by: Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This week's question:

Q: Go count the number of unread books sitting on your shelf. How many?

I have 52 unread books in my bookshelf(and on the floor and on top of the dresser). I'm kind of shocked. It's not as many as a lot of people on book blogs have, but considering I only buy books twice a year and I usually stick to the books I know, it is a fairly large number. I need to start reading them. Does anyone else have trouble reading books on their shelf vs books from the library? Or is that just me? I can always make time for a library book but it takes me months to decide to read a book that I own.

Blogging About a Blog Post/Contest Entry

Maggie Stiefvater is having a Giveaway at her blog here. To enter you are supposed to blog about one of your favorite posts she has made. So, that is what I'm doing.... Well, I'll get around to it sometime in this post. She has a ton of really good posts. If you read author blogs have you every notice that YA Author = Funny? It seems that every YA author blog I've been to they always have a sense of humor. Just an interesting point I thought I'd point out.

As previously mentioned Maggie has a lot of posts. It took me a really long time(10 minutes. Oh shut up, it felt like a long time) to track down the one I was looking for.

Why We Love Authors Who Treat Us Bad

Be forewarned, there are spoilers for Twilight #4 and Harry Potter #5, #6, and #7. The thing that I love about this post is that at first you are shaking your head going 'that's not me' and then by the third paragraph your nodding your head going 'oh yeah, I forgot, that really is me. I'm actually like that.' I think this line really puts the point of the post in a nutshell "hell hath no fury like a reader who actually gets what they think they want."