Reading Stack #21

I am not going to be able to finish my fourth book for the September is for Sequels challenge by the end of today. I am over halfway through with Unwanteds 2: Island of Silence, so I do plan on finishing it very soon. It will stay on my stack. I am going to add back For Darkness Shows the Stars for the Classics Challenge and I am about a third of the way through it. Blood by Wignall will also be on the stack for the Spooktacular Paranormal Reading Challenge. However as soon as I get a copy of Mark of Athena, it will become top priority. I love Riordan's books and I tend to focus solely on them when a new one comes out. I will probably also do a Random Read again this month, so that will join the stack as well. I hope to have more time to read this month than I did last month, so maybe I can actually finish a few of my challenges.

Spooktacular Paranormal Reading Challenge

This challenge is hosted by Marie at Ramblings of a Daydreamer. For this challenge you have to read at least three paranormal books. The books can cross over into other challenges as well.
For this challenge I am going to try to read:
1. Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
2. The Summoning by Kelly Armstrong
3. Blood by K.J. Wignall
Hopefully this will be spooky enough for me, but not enough to give me nightmares.

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

This is definitely spoilery if you have not finished the previous books in the series.

I kept putting off ready this book, which I bought on its actual release date. I couldn't figure out why, until I read and finished the book, then I remembered that Cassandra Clare's books tend to make me think for days about them and I don't get anything else done. This one is no exception to that.


Clary refuses to let the last words to Jace be, I'll be right back. Ever since Jace and Sebastian disappeared, Clary has felt horrible. After Clary is pardoned for bringing Jace back from the dead, she focuses solely on finding Jace. The Clave has other concerns and drops the search, but Clary, Isabelle, and Alec refuse to give up. They go to the Seelie Queen who promises to help them find Jace in exchange for two gold rings that allow for talking between minds. When Jace appears and wants Clary to go with him, she knows she must. To keep the others informed, she keeps one ring and gives Simon the other. She will stay with Jace and Sebastian and Simon, Izzy, and Alec with Magnus's help will search for a way to separate Jace and Sebastian. The two are bound by Lilith's ritual and one cannot be killed without the other being killed. Every day she is with Jace and Sebastian, Clary is in danger, and Simon and the others are also in danger due to the means they use to find a solution. Can Clary save Jace or is the tie that binds him to Sebastian too strong and will it lead to a sacrifice too great?

The fifth book in the series is just as good as the fourth! I love how Clare creates her characters and how she makes you care about them and at times breaks your heart. The characters stay with you and their choices have real consequences, which makes them more believable. In this book, I love how she focused on the theme of forgiveness, what can be forgiven and what can't. I also loved the secondary characters' romances-Izzy and Simon, Magnus and Alec, and Jordan and Maya. I think I enjoyed those more than even Clary and Jace. The only problem I have with the book is the use of GD, sometimes I feel like it doesn't make sense for Shadowhunters to use that term. I also just dislike the use of it in general, but that is my main problem with the whole series, so for the most part I enjoy them.
Favorite Character: Clare's take on religion in the series is interesting and for me Simon is the most interesting, because of his faith. I love that he has kept his faith despite everything. He is a vampire, but still shows his Jewish faith and has respect for it. He is extremely loyal and loving, and while naive about Izzy and her feelings, he truly seems to care for her. I will be very sad if he dies in the end, but I can see how it could happen. He would sacrifice himself for those he loves.

Favorite Quote: There were several, but this one is my favorite. "We're meant to protect each other, but not from everything. Not from the truth. That's what it means to love someone but let them be themselves." Clare has some beautiful quotes in both her series.

I loved her use of forgiveness in this book and I love the characters in this series. 4.5 cups of cocoa!

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

This will be spoilerly for Nevermore if you have not read it.

Isobel will never give up on Varen, even though she knows it will be difficult to re-enter the Dreamworld. Her one hope lies with catching the Poe Toaster aka Reynolds as he brings roses and brandy to Poe's grave on January 19. She knows she must manipulate her parents to bring her to Baltimore and she pretends to be interested in college and the cheer squad there. While waiting for their decision, Isobel experiences dreams that involve Varen, which she hopes are real and dreams with Pinfeathers, the Noc, which she hopes are not. She sort of fills in Gwen on her plans, but Gwen is terrified when she learns they involve Lilith. Gwen helps Isobel figure out that Lilith is a demon with control of Varen, but Isobel refuses to be disuaded from her plan to save Varen. If she can convince her parents to take her to Baltimore, she thinks she stands a chance, but could it be too late to really save Varen?

Enshadowed picks up shortly after Nevermore with Isobel depressed and desperate to get back to save Varen. The book is extremely slow paced and the action only picks up in the last 20 or so pages, but wow what a last twenty pages!  I did enjoy delving into Isobel's relationships with her family. It is interesting to see her obsession with Varen and how that overpowers all of her other relationships. The cliffhanger ending has me eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Favorite Character: Gwen. I love Gwen's quirky attitude and her loyalty to Isobel, despite her fears.

Favorite Quote: "Sleep now a little while, Till within our dreams we wake, Unfolding our Forever, If only for Never's sake." I liked the eeriness of the song in the story.

It took me a long time to read this book, because the action is mainly in the end. Second books in the series are not usually as exciting, so I was not surprised. I do like the characters and only wish Varen was in the story more. However the third book is set up to be really great! 4 cups of cocoa.

Caught by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I decided with this review to change from bars of chocolate to cups of cocoa, because if I ever put graphics on here, bars of chocolate could look like something else. ;) I will try this new system for awhile and see if I like it.

JB warned them to have fun while they could and now that time is coming to an end. Jonah and Katherine are shocked when time stops in the middle of their school day. They run into Angela, who is able to take them in her car powered by an Elucidator to Chip's house. There Jonah and Katherine overhear part of a message from JB warning them about problems in time, before they are accidently sent to 1903. They learn that JB has sent a child back, despite promising them he wouldn't. The child happens to be the daughter of Albert Einstein. Complications ensue when Mileva Einstein gets control of the Elucidator and begins to learn the truth about time travel. It is up to Jonah and Katherine to save time, but they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice.

The fourth book was my least favorite and seemed really slow in pace, but Caught, the fifth book in the series made up for it. Caught read like the first two books in the series, with lots of suspense and a great historical tie. I loved learning about Mileva Einstein and her life and the debate about just how much she influenced Albert's work. I loved how the children handle the moral dilemmas and how much they grow with each book. The twist at the end was a major surprise and I can't wait until the next book.
Favorite Character: Jonah. Jonah really matures in this book and comes to realize how important people in the overall scheme of things. Haddix does an excellent job showing how his character grows and I can't wait to see who he really is.

Favorite Quote: "'You're saying our lives are like light waves/quanta?' JB asked. 'We have fate and free will all at once?' 'Exactly!' Jonah said."

I really enjoy this series and only wish that the books came out closer together. Haddix does a great job with historical detail and has convincing time travel ideas. 5 cups of cocoa!

Fall Into Reading 2012 Challenge

This looks like a fun, straightforward challenge, which may help me with finishing up my last few reads of the year. You just make a list of books to read between September 22 and December 21 and try to read them. The link for the challenge is here.

The books I would like to read before the year out include the following:
Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
Legend by Marie Lu
The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I will stick with these four for now, because I still have a few more challenges to finish.

Progress Report

I am almost finished with Caught, Enshadowed, and City of Lost Souls for the September is for Sequels challenge. I hope to finish Caught today and the other two by the end of the week. I am only a third of the way through Unwanteds 2, so I don't know if I will finish it before the end of the month. For some reason it took me a very long time to get interested in my books this month, although I do like them. I will update soon with a review of Caught.