Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

Tempest is dreading her seventeenth birthday when she must decide if she is going to be a mermaid like her mother or stay on land with the rest of her family. Her mother left Tempest on her eleventh birthday to rejoin her mermaid clan, leaving Tempest to care for her father and two younger brothers. Tempest loves the sea and surfing and her fellow surfers and boyfriend, but she dreads the day when the ocean takes her from her family. As her birthday draws near, Tempest meets Kona, a handsome surfer who seems to be more than just human and she is drawn to him despite having a boyfriend. When an evil sea witch threatens Tempest, Kona, and the ocean world and she learns of a prophesy in which she is the heroine, Tempest must make the choice between her home on land and the sea home that is calling her.

This was an interesting take on mermaid lore and I love the strength that Tempest has. The twist with how mermaids receive their tales was clever and the little bit of information provided by Deebs about her take on mermaids and their matriarchical society was a nice tease. Hopefully she will dive into this in book 2. I am always glad when books present real consequences to actions, even though Tempest's choices lead to heartbreaking conclusions.

Favorite Character: I liked Tempest and she seemed like a real teenager with a full range of emotions. She is angry with her mom and this anger is not one that just goes away when she learns the truth behind her mother's choices. Tempest feels guilt for cheating on her boyfriend and for leaving her family if only for a little while. She is a great big sister, but feels like she has to be a mother to her younger brothers,  with which is something many older siblings will identify. She is strong and does not just depend on Kona to protect her, which is also a flaw, since she puts others in danger to prove this.

Favorite Quote: "There are some things going through my mind at the moment that I'm not sure I'm ready for you to hear."

I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the next in the series. I give this 4.5 bars of chocolate!

Deciding

I am almost finished with Tempest Rising and am trying to decide what to start next. I know one of my friends is going to want to talk about Serpent's Shadow soon, as she has probably finished it already. My godchild will want to read Insurgent and talk about it. I want to get a copy of Destined and find out how that series ends. However City of Lost Souls comes out Tuesday and I just finished City of Fallen Angels again and really want to find out what happens next. Not to mention other books I have on my lists like Away. Too many books and no time!

Reading Stack #11

I did finish Street Magic and Gift. I am almost halfway through Tempest Rising, but I have not really started Away. I have copies of Insurgent and Serpent's Shadow, but I am still waiting for Destined to come in. It should be in Monday or Tuesday, but it is hard to wait. I will try to finish Tempest Rising, but I also want to start Insurgent. I know when Destined comes in, I will probably drop everything else to read it. I want to see how the Wings series ends!

Street Magic by Tamora Pierce

In Street Magic, Briar and Rosethorn are in Chammur, a desert area with beautiful rock formations. Rosethorn is trying to help the area farmers and Briar is working to sell minature trees. While at the market, Briar sees a young girl polishing stones and putting magic into them. When he confronts the girl, she flees, because she does not realize she has magic. Briar is friendly with one of the local gangs, the Camelguts, who help him when he is tailed by a Viper. The Vipers are a new gang given weapons by rich Lady Zenadia, who is using them to deal with boredom. Lady Zenadia decides she wants Evvy, the girl with the stone magic, and uses her gang to try to capture her. Briar learns that he is responsible for Evvy, because he is the first to notice her magic. When the only stone mage decides not to train Evvy, Briar takes over and becomes close to the girl. When Evvy is kidnapped, Briar stops at nothing to free her.

I was glad to see another tale about Briar, because I enjoyed his story the most from the Circle Quartet. Briar is funny and extremely loyal to his mates as he calls them. I love Pierce's series and this one is as good if not better than the first.

Favorite Character: I like Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy all equally and it is hard to choose a favorite. Evvy was the perfect match for Briar in her humor and background. All three are rough around the edges, but the loyalty and love they have for others is wonderful. I know Evvy is a part of Melting Stones, so I will be glad to read more about her.

Favorite Quote: "'You're more trouble than your worth,' he informed Evvy tartly. She shrugged. 'I'm a girl. That's my job.'
I love this series! It is full of action and shows how the four mages are maturing as they grow older. I will have to add the next one as soon as I can find the time. 5 bars of chocolate!

Gift by Andrea Buchanan

I received Gift as an e-galley.

Daisy is able to fry all electrical devices near her. Ever since she was young, she had to control her "gift." She does deep breathing exercises and yoga to keep from ruining everyone's computers and other devices. Extremely inconvenient as her gift is, it becomes the least of her troubles. Daisy finds Vivi, a girl from her English class, in the girl's bathroom. Vivi has taken some pills to try to be with Patrick, a ghost who claims to be her soulmate. Daisy saves Vivi and Vivi claims that Patrick is connected to Daisy in some way. Daisy and her friend Danielle decide to help Vivi and both of them are plagued with dreams of a past tragedy over a hundred years old, in which they seem to be the main characters. As Daisy tries to puzzle out the meaning of the dreams and Patrick, she becomes involved with Kevin, a cute senior, who tries to help. Kevin also has a hidden secret and past. As Patrick seems to become more real and Daisy starts to fall for Kevin, she must decide who the real villian is. Could the past be repeating itself and is Daisy's gift the key?

Part ghost story and part supernatural power, Buchanan creates a wonderfully suspenseful story with a twist ending. I really enjoyed the book and I loved the end where each of the four other main characters reveals a bit about themselves and provides their own insights into the ghost story.

Favorite Character: I really liked Danielle. She was spunky and realistic. She pays for her flaws, but she is extremely loyal in the end.

Favorite Quote: "WHO IS THE TEENAGED GIRL HERE? SPOILER ALERT: NOT YOU, GHOST."
"Everyone wants me to hold back all the time. Nobody wants me to be who I really am."
I liked the twist on the ghost story and the idea of a heroine with extreme powers. I give this 4.5 bars of chocolate. I think it is really unique and enjoyed the characters.

Reading Stack #10

I am 3/4 of the way through Gift and halfway through Street Magic, so I am going to finish these books. I am adding Away by Teri Hall to my stack and Tempest Rising again. I checked Tempest Rising back out from the library, so hopefully I will have time to finish it. However May is the release month for all the series I want to read, so I may not finish my stack. It will really depend on when I receive the books. I really want to read Insurgent by Veronica Roth, Destined by Aprilynne Pike, and The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan, which all release May 1, so that will be a tough decision. Then more books release on the 8th, 15th, and 22nd that I can't wait to read as well. I did take two days off from work in May to hopefully catch up on my reading!

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

I hated to see this series end, but what an ending!

Deryn and Alek find out they are traveling into Siberia to rescue a man who may have a weapon to end the war. Nikola Tesla, who invented the Tesla machine that can destroy airships, claims to have a weapon called Goliath. Goliath has the strength to destroy an entire city and the threat of its use alone could stop the war. Dr. Barlowe and Deryn both doubt Tesla, as he seems to be a madman. The area where they find him has been flattened and no wildlife exists in the area. Could he have destroyed the area or could it be something else? In the midst of Tesla's claims, the truth about Deryn is finally revealed to Alek and he must decide his true feelings about Deryn. The end of this series is filled with romance, excitement, and explosions and is just as wonderful as the other two books. I don't want to give too much away, but this may be one of my favorite endings ever in a book. Since this is the end of the trilogy I will save details, so that it is not too spoilery.

Favorite Quote: "A bit daft, she finally said. Getting a medal for falling down." I also like the dedication, "To everyone who loves a long-secret romance, revealed at last."

Favorite Character: Deryn of course. She is brave, reckless, and extremely loyal. She does not need anyone to take care of her, but she is willing to risk everything for Alek, so she also knows how to love. She is one of my favorite fictional characters ever! I did like the character of Alek and he was the most interesting as far as growth. He changes from a spoiled prince to a man who respects women and learns what the most important things in life really are. He feels  the pressure of the world and learns his true place in it.
5 bars of chocolate! As if there was any doubt. This is one of my favorite series now and these are by far the best books I have read this year. I can recommend this series to so many people, because it has a light romance, extreme action, and hilarious parts all mixed together. Wonderful!