Queste by Angie Sage

Queste is the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series and this review will have spoilers for the first three books. This was another book I started in 2013 and just finished.

Katherine Tegen Books

Septimus, Jenna, and their mom and dad want desperately to find Nicko and bring him home. Jenna takes care of Ulr, who misses Snorri, who is also trapped in time with Nicko. Silas Heap believes his son is somehow lost in the forest and embarks to the Wendron Witches to seek help. Jenna and Septimus know that it is a matter of finding a way back to Nicko and Snorri. When they learn about the mysterious House of Foryx, Septimus, Jenna, and their friend Beetle plan to set out to find this magical place where time stands still and where Nicko and Snorri have left clues that they will be waiting. Meanwhile the fake Septimus Heap, Merrin has decided he cannot stand living with Simon and Lucy any longer and seeks his revenge on Septimus. He achieves this when he joins forces with a Darke ghost who saddles Septimus with the Queste, a task no apprentice has survived. Can Septimus help his brother or will he fall the same way as 20 other apprentices?

I enjoy this series and the characters are very amusing at times. There is always an element of humor even during the dark moments. This one focused more on Septimus and Jenna, so many of the other characters only had cameo moments. This one shows how even having magical power like Septimus or being a powerful ruler like Jenna has its limitations and is not always as grand as it seems. I like how Sage has created this world and how she shows the complex side of each of the characters.

Favorite Character: Beetle, he is loyal to Septimus and Jenna, even losing his job, because he wants to help them. He is a bit spontaneous, but also very diligent. Hopefully he will find his place in the next book.

Favorite Quote: "It's horrible to feel you have to be something."

Overall, I think this is a good middle grades read and can't wait to start the next one. 4 cups of cocoa!

February Random Read- The Fault in Our Stars

This is a meme hosted by Sarah at imlovingbooks.com. You can choose to use Goodreads or create your own list or use your bookshelves.  The idea is to use random.org and type in the number of books on your list. Whatever number you receive is your random read for the month. I have decided  to use the books on my Kindle as my list. I buy or get free far too many books on my Kindle and then never read them. My current number stands at 430. I managed to read last month's book, so hopefully I can keep this up! My number this month is...155, which is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I am really excited about this book, but also apprehensive, because I know it will be really heart-breaking.

Dutton Books

I really enjoy John Green's writing and his books always make me think. The review for this one is here.

Splintered by A.G. Howard

This is another book I started in 2013 and just now finished. It is the first in the series and the second one Unhinged is already out. I love twists and this one is a twist on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass.

Amulet

Alyssa Gardner is trying to ignore all the bugs and flowers and all their warnings and random sayings. She doesn't want to end up like her mom, in an institution and only eating out of teacups. The rumors are that Alice Liddell, her great great...grandmother, actually went to Wonderland and caused a curse on her family. Alyssa never truly believes this even when she hears bug voices and her art looks like strange locations. However, when what should be a routine visit with her mother turns into her mother almost being strangled by her own hair, Alyssa realizes that her family may truly be under a spell. Alyssa is willing to risk herself and her crush Jed to go through the rabbit hole into Wonderland. There she will try to undue the curse and save her mother. When she meets the enigmatic Morpheus and is reminded of her childhood dreams, she realizes he has been guiding or manipulating her all along. Alyssa will face many choices as she tries to undo Alice's mistakes and these choices will change her forever.

This was a dark twist on the Wonderland story and was even more zanier and macabre than the original. It took me forever to finish this and for the first roughly two-thirds of the story, I didn't really like it. However the end had me in its grasp. I actually want to read the sequel now and did not think I would be writing that! It seems the farther you go into the story, the more you get caught in its madness. I think Alyssa is a great character and I can't choose between her two suitors. Most of the time I think they are terrible based on some of their choices, but again the end! I won't say anymore, because I don't want to give away spoilers, but the last about 60 pages sold this book for me.

Favorite Character: Alyssa, she is innocence in a world of madness and loyal and selfless most of the time. I can't wait to see what she chooses in the next book!

Favorite Quote: "Yet, here I am, all of these things. Both light and dark at the same time. If I were to give in to one side of me, would that mean I'd have to give up the other? My heart aches at the possibility. Somehow I feel like I need both to be complete." I think this is a choice we often face in life, when we make a major change or make a major mistake.

This was an almost a did not finish for me, but I am really glad I stuck it out. I think it is like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and you just have to work your way through it, not really expecting to understand everything, but having those ah! moments when things start to click. You just have to embrace the madness.  It was a dark read, but had a great ending! 3.5 cups of cocoa.

A Winter's Respite Read-a-thon Starting Line

This is hosted by Michelle @ The True Book Addict and Castle Macabre. You can sign up at this link.
It is a stress-free read-a-thon in which you can read books in your TBR including fiction and nonfiction. The Twitter hashtag is #WintersRespite. I love Michelle's read-a-thons and usually do pretty well with my reading on those weeks.

Day 1 Update:
Currently reading: Queste and The Sorceress
Progress: Queste- 51 pages and finished!, The Sorceress- 35 pages

Day 2 Update:
Currently  reading: The Sorceress and Kiss of Frost
Progress: The Sorceress- 38 pages, Kiss of Frost- 21 pages

Day 3 Update:
Currently reading: The Sorceress and Kiss of Frost
Progress: The Sorceress- 31 pages, Kiss of Frost- 18 pages

Day 4 Update:
Currently reading: The Sorceress and Kiss of Frost
Progress: The Sorceress- 31 pages , Kiss of Frost-8 pages

Day 5 Update:
Currently reading: The Sorceress and Kiss of Frost
Progress: The Sorceress- 55 pages , Kiss of Frost-  32 pages

Day 6 Update:
Currently reading: The Sorceress and Kiss of Frost
Progress: The Sorceress- 41 pages, Kiss of Frost-16 pages

Day 7 Update:
Currently reading: The Sorceress
Progress: The Sorceress- 55 pages

My reading list:
 


Jinx's Magic by Sage Blackwood (Katherine Tegen Books)
Queste by Angie Sage (Katherine Tegen Books)
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale (Harper Teen)
The Sorceress by Michael Scott (Delacorte)
Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep (K-Teen)
A Story Lately Told by Anjelica Huston (Scribner)

I hope to finish at least two books this week! Good luck to everyone and thanks to Michelle for hosting!

Review Copy Cleanup 4.0 February 2014

This is hosted by Celine at Nyx Book Reviews and Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea. You can sign up on either blog and the link to Vicky's is here.The challenge is to read as many review books as you can and any format counts. It will run the entire month of February. I think this is my second review copy cleanup. I hope to finish Jinx's Magic and Perfect Lies. If I can get through those two, then I will pick out a couple of more titles. Thanks to Celine and Vicky for hosting!

The Review Copy Cleanup 4.0 runs from 1 to 28 February

It starts and ends at midnight according to your local timezone to avoid confusion

To sign up, just fill in the linky below. Link to your sign up post directly, please! The linky is the same on both of our blogs, so you only have to sign up once

The linky will close on the 15th, so make you sign up before then

When you post your sign up post on your blog, either include the challenge button with your post or link it back to this article so that people know where to sign up. Thanks! (:

Every book you received for review counts towards the challenge, both e-books and hard copies (even audiobooks for review, if you have those), including all genres and lengths

Feel free to use the #RCCleanup hashtag on Twitter for your RCC related tweets or join in the Twitter party at http://tweetchat.com/room/RCCleanup and meet lots of awesome bloggers (:

At the end of every week we will post our personal updates, and we’ll include a linky for you to add yours!

- See more at: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/posts/review-copy-cleanup-4-0-sign-up/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BooksBiscuitsTea+%28Books%2C+Biscuits%2C+and+Tea%29#sthash.t51t0ozr.dpuf

The Review Copy Cleanup 4.0 runs from 1 to 28 February

It starts and ends at midnight according to your local timezone to avoid confusion

To sign up, just fill in the linky below. Link to your sign up post directly, please! The linky is the same on both of our blogs, so you only have to sign up once

The linky will close on the 15th, so make you sign up before then

When you post your sign up post on your blog, either include the challenge button with your post or link it back to this article so that people know where to sign up. Thanks! (:

Every book you received for review counts towards the challenge, both e-books and hard copies (even audiobooks for review, if you have those), including all genres and lengths

Feel free to use the #RCCleanup hashtag on Twitter for your RCC related tweets or join in the Twitter party at http://tweetchat.com/room/RCCleanup and meet lots of awesome bloggers (:

At the end of every week we will post our personal updates, and we’ll include a linky for you to add yours!

- See more at: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/posts/review-copy-cleanup-4-0-sign-up/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BooksBiscuitsTea+%28Books%2C+Biscuits%2C+and+Tea%29#sthash.t51t0ozr.dpuf

Nyx Book Reviews and myself

Nyx Book Reviews and myself

Nyx Book Reviews and myself

Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday #2

 

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea and they are memes for sharing books you've purchased, borrowed, or been sent for review. The books can be physical or e-format. I thought since I follow both blogs I would do a combined share.

Library:

Harper Teen

Just one book from the library this week.
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale. I am not for sure if I like the cover, but the plot sounded really interesting. A murder mystery where the best friend has to find the killer, seems like the perfect winter read.

Bought:
Just Kindle books this week.
The Dr. Pepper Prophecies by Jennifer Gilby Roberts (I am looking for twists on Jane Austen's Emma and this one was only $0.99.)
   

All three of these were $1.99 deals!

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (Katherine Tegen Books) So many good reviews of this one, that I had to try it.
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (Harper) Another one with lots of good reviews
A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan (Candlewick) A twist on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale

Hyperion

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter (I am going to try to finish the Gallagher Girls series this year and I couldn't wait for it to come back in at the library, so I bought it!)

Received for Review on Edelweiss: Thanks to Harper Teen

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
This is about a girl who has Cerebral Palsy and a boy who has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and how they become friends. It sounds both sweet and heartbreaking!

Received for Review from Netgalley: Thanks to Scholastic!

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
This reminds me of The Hunger Games. A girl must compete in a race to try to get a cure for her dying brother and she is not the only competitor. Can she survive and will she find the cure?

Hope you all got some great reads this week!

Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter

This was a book I started in 2013 and just finished. I love Ally Carter's books and the strong female characters she creates. This is the 3rd book in the Gallagher Girls series and could have spoilers for the first two books in the series.

Hyperion Books

Macey McHenry's dad is running for Vice President of the United States and Macey is an important part of his campaign. Mr. and Mrs. McHenry want to show a perfect family to the country to try and win votes and poor Macey must act the way they want her to. She spends most of the summer campaigning and is glad when Cammie joins her for a campaign in Boston. This proves to be more important than just being there for her friend, when Cammie stops a kidnapping effort on the rooftop of the Boston hotel. The girls' world is turned upside down as all their training becomes reality. The attempt is foiled, but Macey and the Gallagher Academy itself are in danger. To protect Macey, a Secret Service agent is assigned, who is a Gallagher girl herself and Cammie's aunt. As the stakes get higher, Cammie and her friends try to protect Macey, but things may prove to be more than they seem. The girls are back in one of their most dangerous missions ever, to protect one of their own.

I absolutely love this series. The girls are both strong and clueless at times. They can speak several different languages, know dozens of ways to disarm a man, but are clueless in the ways of boys. The boy dilemma is cute without becoming the main plot of the book, leaving the girls to be the perfect spies with just a hint of boy drama. I love how the sisterhood comes together to protect each other, even to the point of risking their lives, and how they don't abandon each other no matter what.

Favorite Character: Cammie. She knows what it takes to make a good spy, but she is also remains true to the thoughts and feelings of a teen girl. She is crushed by Zach at different times, but she keeps her head in dangerous situations. She is extremely loyal and caring.

Favorite Quote: "Every spy knows that what you don't say is just as important-maybe more so-than what you do."

What a great series with strong heroines who remain true to their age! I love recommending this series, particularly to middle and high school girls to show them girl power. This one shows that the stakes are getting higher with each book and that sometimes you can only depend on your friends. 5 cups of cocoa!