This post may have spoilers for The Summoning, the first book in the Darkest Powers series.
The Awakening is the second book in the Darkest Powers series, and it picks up shortly after the events of the Summoning. After Aunt Lauren's betrayal, Chloe and Rachelle are trapped in the institution controlled by the Edison Group. Chloe learns that Tori is there as well and blames her for betraying their escape attempt. Rae and Tori seem willing to stay with the Edison group, but all Chloe can think of is escape. When Dr. Davidoff tells her a little about the Edison group, Chloe wants to learn more. She hacks into Dr. Davidoff's computer and learns that experiments were conducted on 20 supernatural children and a few of these were considered failures. Rae, Tori, Chloe, Derek, Brady, and Liz are classified as failures and two of them Liz and Brady were terminated because of this. Liz continues to help Chloe, but Rae refuses to believe what Chloe tells her. When the Edison group decides to use Chloe as bait, she and Tori, who overhears the truth from her mother, escape and search for Derek and Simon. When the group is reunited, it will take all their wits and powers to survive on the street. Is there anyone that can be trusted and what is the truth behind the Edison group's experiments?
The second book is just as good as the first and I enjoyed hearing Derek's background and seeing Chloe develop her powers more. This is definitely a fast paced series with all the action and betrayals. I hope the third book will give more of Tori's and Rae's backgrounds. I am glad that Armstrong keeps the character's personalities, especially Tori's. She does not make Tori into a nice girl even though she is escaping with the group and helping the others. Tori is a witch both in her powers and her personality. The relationship between Derek and Simon borders on a love triangle although romance takes second place to trying to survive. The story is believable with a nice paranormal twist. I hope to add the last book to my to read list soon!
Favorite Character: I still like Chloe. She is as Tori puts it, too nice, but other than that, she is strong and loyal. She is also not judgmental and even cares for Derek after he treats her horribly. She is the weakest protecting herself and she is not suddenly superhuman over night, but remains in need of protection. However she is not a damsel in distress, just normal, except for the whole talking and controlling the dead thing.
Favorite Quote: "Harsh truth was better than comfortable lies. It had to be."
Usually second books are nowhere near as good as the first, but this one was just as suspenseful and attention-grabbing as the first. 4.5 cups of cocoa and I hope to start the Reckoning very soon!
Favorite Quote:
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Random Read-November
This month's Random Read is Au Revoir Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber. This one is about a boy writing his college entrance essay and the crazy time he had with a foreign exchange student who is also an assassin. It sounds both funny and action-packed. This will be a nice break from all the paranormal romance I have been reading lately. I still have to finish Girl with the Clockwork Collar and I am about halfway through it. Hopefully I can finish both of these books before November ends!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Progress Report
So I finished Iron King, which means I actually completed the Spooktacular challenge! However I did not finish my Random Read for October :(. I am still reading Girl with the Clockwork Collar though and actually read 80 pages today! I also finished The Awakening and will be posting the review in the next day or two. I am debating picking a Random Read for this month, since I did not finish the last one. I will need to create a new list, since most of my titles are either on a list for another challenge or I finished them for the past two months challenges. I am thinking of making a list of books I would like to reread that I have not reviewed here or choosing a title from a list of ARCs and e-galleys. I will give it a little more time and maybe finish another book before I decide.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Iron King by Julie Kagawa
I had this on my stack once this year and barely started it when I decided to read something else. I looked at reviews that said this was a really dark book (which it is a bit dark), had an attempted rape scene (which it does, but it was not a long scene thankfully) and that the characters were emotionless (which was not the case). Based on a few reviews I stopped reading it at that time. Then I decided to do the Spooktacular challenge and thought it would be a good time to pick up this book again. I am glad I did!
Meghan Chase is your ordinary teenage girl. Her family is not wealthy, but she at least has her IPod. She lives with her mother, stepfather, and half-brother Ethan. Despite not having the best clothes or a car, Meghan makes the most of her life and she loves her family. So when her brother is taken to the Faery world and replaced with a changeling, Meghan knows she must save him. She is helped by her friend Rob, who turns out to be Robin Goodfellow aka Puck. Puck agrees to take her to the Summer court of Oberon and Titania to see if Ethan is there. The two are separate and Meghan makes a deal with Grimalkin, basically a fey cat, to help her find Puck and when they do she will owe Grim a favor. Grimalkin leads her to the Summer Fey, but they do not find Ethan. However, Meghan finds out Oberon is her father and that she is half-faery. She also learns about the feud between the Summer and Winter courts and meets Ash, the youngest son of Queen Mab of the Winter faeries. Meghan also notices little iron bugs, one of which causes a monster to attack the two courts at their peace meeting. This could mean war, unless Ash, Puck, and Meghan can prove the existence of the Iron King, leader of the Iron Fey. Meghan must join forces with her enemy Ash to save her brother and the two courts, but can Ash be trusted?
This is a dark fey story, but I enjoyed it. Julie Kagawa created a lush, deliciously dark world where no one is safe and everything comes with a price. Her descriptions of her world show a deadly, but beautiful place and it seems real enough to exist. Her characters are very rough around the edges, but you cannot help being drawn to them. It did take me a bit to get into the story, but as soon as I started Part II, I hated to put the book down.
Favorite Character: Definitely Meghan. Her responses to being a part-fey were very realistic. She did not just suddenly turn into a kick-butt heroine, but she did not pretend to be a damsel in distress either. She cries at times, she gets mad, but she keeps going. She knows her flaw is her loyalty to others, but she claims it with pride. She is one of the best heroines I have read about this year.
Favorite Quote: "The Nevernever is dying, human. It grows smaller and smaller every decade. Too much progress, too much technology. Mortals are losing their faith in anything but science. Even the children of man are consumed by progress. They sneer at the old stories and are drawn to the newest gadgets, computers, or video games. They no longer believe in monsters or magic. As cities grow and technology takes over the world, belief and imagination fade, and so do we." I know this is a long quote, but I think it is so true!
I really want to start the next book in the series, but I HAVE to finish a few other books first. I loved this dark story and it gets 5 cups of dark cocoa!
Meghan Chase is your ordinary teenage girl. Her family is not wealthy, but she at least has her IPod. She lives with her mother, stepfather, and half-brother Ethan. Despite not having the best clothes or a car, Meghan makes the most of her life and she loves her family. So when her brother is taken to the Faery world and replaced with a changeling, Meghan knows she must save him. She is helped by her friend Rob, who turns out to be Robin Goodfellow aka Puck. Puck agrees to take her to the Summer court of Oberon and Titania to see if Ethan is there. The two are separate and Meghan makes a deal with Grimalkin, basically a fey cat, to help her find Puck and when they do she will owe Grim a favor. Grimalkin leads her to the Summer Fey, but they do not find Ethan. However, Meghan finds out Oberon is her father and that she is half-faery. She also learns about the feud between the Summer and Winter courts and meets Ash, the youngest son of Queen Mab of the Winter faeries. Meghan also notices little iron bugs, one of which causes a monster to attack the two courts at their peace meeting. This could mean war, unless Ash, Puck, and Meghan can prove the existence of the Iron King, leader of the Iron Fey. Meghan must join forces with her enemy Ash to save her brother and the two courts, but can Ash be trusted?
This is a dark fey story, but I enjoyed it. Julie Kagawa created a lush, deliciously dark world where no one is safe and everything comes with a price. Her descriptions of her world show a deadly, but beautiful place and it seems real enough to exist. Her characters are very rough around the edges, but you cannot help being drawn to them. It did take me a bit to get into the story, but as soon as I started Part II, I hated to put the book down.
Favorite Character: Definitely Meghan. Her responses to being a part-fey were very realistic. She did not just suddenly turn into a kick-butt heroine, but she did not pretend to be a damsel in distress either. She cries at times, she gets mad, but she keeps going. She knows her flaw is her loyalty to others, but she claims it with pride. She is one of the best heroines I have read about this year.
Favorite Quote: "The Nevernever is dying, human. It grows smaller and smaller every decade. Too much progress, too much technology. Mortals are losing their faith in anything but science. Even the children of man are consumed by progress. They sneer at the old stories and are drawn to the newest gadgets, computers, or video games. They no longer believe in monsters or magic. As cities grow and technology takes over the world, belief and imagination fade, and so do we." I know this is a long quote, but I think it is so true!
I really want to start the next book in the series, but I HAVE to finish a few other books first. I loved this dark story and it gets 5 cups of dark cocoa!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Reading Stack #23
I have finished The Selection and Mark of Athena. I have around 100 pages left of Iron King, but I hope to finish it before the weekend is over. It is a dark read so far, but pretty good. I have started Girl with the Clockwork Collar, but there is no way I will finish it before October ends. So far it is as attention grabbing as the first, but I have had little time to read since Monday. I started the Awakening, because I wanted to know what happens next, so I did go off list as usual. I still have For Darkness Shows the Stars in my stack too, but it has been neglected again. My goal is to try to finish these four books before starting anything else. We'll see if I can do this! Hope you are enjoying your reads for this week!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Selection by Kiera Cass
I wanted to be able to read this book for a very long time, so when I finally received the hold notification, it had to go to the top of my list. I ended up buying it anyway, so I could have saved all that waiting time if I just bought it. So, you can tell this is going to be a high rating book, if I had to buy it even though I had it on loan. :)
America Singer is in love with Aspen, but she is a Five and he is a Six. In America's society of
The cliffhanger ending will have readers begging for book 2, which I won't mention the title of, because it is spoilerly. I loved Kiera Cass's writing and the world she has created. I couldn't believe it ended without a choice, but I can't wait to read Book 2, which sadly will not be out until April. I loved getting to know the other girls through America's eyes and the book reminds you of what it must be like for girls who do pageants. Cass shows the competitiveness and the fragile friendships formed with the girls in their desire to win, but be liked. The love triangle between America, Aspen, and Maxon is interesting and it is hard to decide who should be together. At times I did want to yell at them all, especially America, but I am satisfied with the choice she made at the end of this book.
Favorite Character: I liked Marlee, one of the Selected girls who seems the most honest and real. She is friendly and America's one friend other than Maxon. She is hiding a secret though, so she may turn out to be not so nice in the next story.
Favorite Quote: "'In my experience, true love is usually the most inconvenient kind.'"
The idea of a selection is an interesting concept and I love that she did not downplay the ugly side of the contest. I enjoyed her world of Illéa and the characters particularly the Selected girls. I have not made up my mind about the love triangle just yet. 4.5 cups of cocoa!
America Singer is in love with Aspen, but she is a Five and he is a Six. In America's society of
Illéa, you are ranked according to your station in life. The royal family are Ones and Twos and Threes are the wealthy. Fours have a little more than Fives, Sixes, and Sevens. Eights are the homeless and desitute. A girl should not marry below her rank and so America and Aspen keep their love a secret. Then the Selection occurs. Prince Maxon is of marrying age and so 35 girls will be chosen from
Illéa and one will be his wife. Aspen and America's family convince her to enter and her mother promises to let her earn her own money. America enters just so she can save money to marry Aspen, but when she surprises him with an expensive dinner, he decides to end their relationship over his pride. America is chosen as one of thirty-five. There she competes at first half-heartedly, but then she wants to be Maxon's friend. Soon she wonders if friendship is enough and if she can truly leave Aspen behind. Can she make it to the end and which love should she choose?
The cliffhanger ending will have readers begging for book 2, which I won't mention the title of, because it is spoilerly. I loved Kiera Cass's writing and the world she has created. I couldn't believe it ended without a choice, but I can't wait to read Book 2, which sadly will not be out until April. I loved getting to know the other girls through America's eyes and the book reminds you of what it must be like for girls who do pageants. Cass shows the competitiveness and the fragile friendships formed with the girls in their desire to win, but be liked. The love triangle between America, Aspen, and Maxon is interesting and it is hard to decide who should be together. At times I did want to yell at them all, especially America, but I am satisfied with the choice she made at the end of this book.
Favorite Character: I liked Marlee, one of the Selected girls who seems the most honest and real. She is friendly and America's one friend other than Maxon. She is hiding a secret though, so she may turn out to be not so nice in the next story.
Favorite Quote: "'In my experience, true love is usually the most inconvenient kind.'"
The idea of a selection is an interesting concept and I love that she did not downplay the ugly side of the contest. I enjoyed her world of Illéa and the characters particularly the Selected girls. I have not made up my mind about the love triangle just yet. 4.5 cups of cocoa!
Friday, October 19, 2012
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
This is book 3 in the Heroes of Olympus series, which follows the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. You should read the Percy Jackson series first and this post will have spoilers for that series and the other two books in the Heroes of Olympus.
Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Leo are nervous about entering the Roman camp, but they manage to keep safe from Terminus and things seem to be going great. However Leo fires on the camp and the 4 plus Percy, Hazel and Frank manage to escape with their lives. The Argo II is damaged, which forces them to stop for repairs in Kansas. While in Kansas, Piper, Jason, and Percy learn that they will be fighting two giants to save Nico, Hazel's brother and son of Hades. They also learn they will need the help of Bacchus/Dionysus to defeat the pair. It is there that Jason and Percy try to kill each other and Piper manages to diffuse the situation. She learns the pair and Leo have eidilons or ghosts controlling them, but she is able to banish the spirits for a time. The group travels to Rome and it is in Rome that Annabeth will have her own quest. She must find the Mark of Athena and save the Athena Parthanos statue to prevent war between the Greeks and Romans and to help the gods not be divided by their duel natures. She must face down one of her biggest fears, but do it completely alone. THe others will be focused on defeating the giants and saving Leo. Can the group of seven succeed or will the cost be the lives of two demigods? The cliffhanger ending will have readers on edge for the 4th and peniultimate book in the series.
I love all of Riordan's books. They are filled with humor and suspense and while geared toward a young teen/tween audience, I think adults can appreciate the humor and his detailed attention to the myths of Greece. The end really surprised me and it will be hard to wait a year to find out what will happen next. I was worried that the 7 character perspective would be confusing, but Riordan manages to make each story flow into the next one and each character still has a unique personality and way of looking at things. I loved how he showed the growth of each character. All of them struggle with issues of trust and each learns that they must work as a team and sometimes give up the lead in order for the quest to succeed. Riordan manages to make each of the seven seem like the main character.
Favorite Character: It is hard to choose, but in this particular book, I liked Leo the best. He has some of the funniest lines and he most of all learns how to interact better with people.
Favorite Quote: "'I teach music and poetry!' Aphros said. 'Life skills! Homemaking! These are important for heroes.'"
"'Being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed.' 'And what if I don't know what's needed.' 'That's what your friends are for.'"
This is my favorite book in this series so far and possibly my favorite series book read this year. Definitely 5 cups of cocoa!
Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Leo are nervous about entering the Roman camp, but they manage to keep safe from Terminus and things seem to be going great. However Leo fires on the camp and the 4 plus Percy, Hazel and Frank manage to escape with their lives. The Argo II is damaged, which forces them to stop for repairs in Kansas. While in Kansas, Piper, Jason, and Percy learn that they will be fighting two giants to save Nico, Hazel's brother and son of Hades. They also learn they will need the help of Bacchus/Dionysus to defeat the pair. It is there that Jason and Percy try to kill each other and Piper manages to diffuse the situation. She learns the pair and Leo have eidilons or ghosts controlling them, but she is able to banish the spirits for a time. The group travels to Rome and it is in Rome that Annabeth will have her own quest. She must find the Mark of Athena and save the Athena Parthanos statue to prevent war between the Greeks and Romans and to help the gods not be divided by their duel natures. She must face down one of her biggest fears, but do it completely alone. THe others will be focused on defeating the giants and saving Leo. Can the group of seven succeed or will the cost be the lives of two demigods? The cliffhanger ending will have readers on edge for the 4th and peniultimate book in the series.
I love all of Riordan's books. They are filled with humor and suspense and while geared toward a young teen/tween audience, I think adults can appreciate the humor and his detailed attention to the myths of Greece. The end really surprised me and it will be hard to wait a year to find out what will happen next. I was worried that the 7 character perspective would be confusing, but Riordan manages to make each story flow into the next one and each character still has a unique personality and way of looking at things. I loved how he showed the growth of each character. All of them struggle with issues of trust and each learns that they must work as a team and sometimes give up the lead in order for the quest to succeed. Riordan manages to make each of the seven seem like the main character.
Favorite Character: It is hard to choose, but in this particular book, I liked Leo the best. He has some of the funniest lines and he most of all learns how to interact better with people.
Favorite Quote: "'I teach music and poetry!' Aphros said. 'Life skills! Homemaking! These are important for heroes.'"
"'Being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed.' 'And what if I don't know what's needed.' 'That's what your friends are for.'"
This is my favorite book in this series so far and possibly my favorite series book read this year. Definitely 5 cups of cocoa!
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