In My Mailbox (22)

This is a weekly meme started by Kristi over at The Story Siren that basically tells people what new books we got over the week. All the links here go to the book's amazon page if you want more info on them. Here are my books:

From Net Galley
Luna series: Enchanted No More by Robin D.Owens-Fantasy type adult book that looked interesting. Will be coming out the first of January. Thank you to the publisher for this advanced ebook copy.
The Lying Game Book 1 by Sara Shepard.-I know I said I wasn't crazy about the Pretty Little Liars books (yet I love the tv show, go figure) but this one looks really interesting and like it'll be more about the mystery then shallow annoying characters who make it hard for me to enjoy the mystery part. At least I'm hoping she'll do that. Fingers crossed! Thank you to HarperTeen for this advanced ebook copy.

From the library:
The Wide Awake Princess by E.D.Baker-Yes, another princess retelling. What can I say? I'm obsessed with these things.
Gallagher Girls Book 3: Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter-I continue to love these books, after this just one more to go and I'm all caught up!
Anita Blake-Vampire Hunter Book 1: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton-After years of hearing mixed reviews about this series, I've finally decided to just try it out for myself.
Wicked Lovely Book 4-Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr-I was going to wait till this came out in paperback so all my books would match but that's not till next year, so I finally decided to just read and buy the copy later.

No bought books this week as I'm trying to cool it with that till I finish Beautiful Darkness. Plus my birthday is this Tuesday so I'm pretty sure I'll be getting one or two books anyway. If not, I'll probably be getting a gift certificate to Borders at least from my Dad because he never has any idea what else to get me (his words, not mine). So next week will probably have a big list ;)

That's it for me this week! What did you get your mailbox?

Book Review: Guardian of the Dead

TITLE: Guardian of the Dead
AUTHOR: Karen Healey
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: urban fantasy
PREMISE: ....I honestly have no freaking idea HOW to describe this book...
MY REVIEW: This book was just...wierd. Not the good kind of wierd either, such as the wierdness in the Haruhi Suzimiya series. This was just wierd in a I didn't know what was going on half the time. It started off okay but then it just got to be an utterly confusing mess and I'm one of those that can usually follow a complicated plot. It honestly wasn't that the plot was confusing, it was just that the author failed to explain things properly and that did not help the book any.
I will say I'm happy the author was creative and wasn't using all the common tropes in YA nowadays (no love triangle!). I also found the diversity in the cast refreshing. I even want to commend the author for being brave enough to put in an asexual male character. I have yet to see an asexual person in a YA book so I'm pretty sure Healey is the first to do this. So that was nice to see. I also will even admit the mythology used was interesting as it's not mythology I'm familiar with and I always like learning new myths. However, that's not enough for me to say this book is actually good. Because it still was a very flawed book. The main character is rather Mary-Sueish, the characters kept drawing conclusions out of thin air with little to no evidence and had me going huh? half the time which only added to the confusion, also the romance? Pretty lame. Even by YA standards.
In short this book had some great ideas but the execution was a big hot mess. The author needs to take time to explain things more. Especially as much of this took place in New Zealand and most Americans (and people in other countries I'm guessing) know next to nothing about this country so a lot of the cultural references/jokes she put were totally lost on me and probably will be lost on all readers not from New Zealand. The author has potential, that's for sure. But her writing needs a lot of polishing before she can be called good.
WHO SHOULD READ: Um...I have no idea, sorry
MY RATING: Two and a half out of Five masks

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Book Review: Haint Misbehavin

TITLE: Haint Misbehavin
Book 1 in a planned series apparently
AUTHOR: Maureen Hardegree
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Paranormal
PREMISE: Heather's summer is pretty rotten so far and it's made worse when she discovers a ghost that is hell bent on getting her attention...
MY REVIEW: I've never heard of this book but saw it on net galley as read now so I figured what the heck? Reading it, I understand why it never became uber popular or got a mention. The writing is terribly amatuerish, despite the fact that apparently the author has been writing for awhile now. All the characters are obnoxious at some point or another, especially the main character. There doesn't really seem to be a plot of any sort and when the solution finally comes along it seems pretty easy.
But for the audience that I'm guessing this book is aimed at (tweens of the Twilight variety) it's okay. It's just that I've read much better and honestly don't have much to say about it as it's one of those books that isn't completely horrible or totally brilliant. It's just there to fill a niche in the market.
WHO SHOULD READ: Paranormal fans in the younger crowd
MY RATING: Three out of Five ghost children

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Book Review: The Iron Daughter

TITLE: The Iron Daughter
Book 2 in the Iron Fey series
AUTHOR: Julie Kagawa
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: Faeries, romance, adventure
PREMISE: Meghan Chase has saved her brother only to now be stuck in the Winter realm abandoned by Ash and trying to convince the fey of the growing threat of the Iron Kingdom.
MY REVIEW: Okay, I love this series. Really I do. Kagawa has created something with lots of potential here. I love reading about this world because everything is so wonderfully described and planned out that I can easily picture it all and have no problem believing it exists. Also, I love Puck and Grimalken. There needs to be a Grimalken plushie (hint hint publishers, if you want promotion ideas...).
Now that said, I still feel this series could stand for some improvement. Because while Kagawa has an awesome world building imagination I feel like her plotting/romance skills...are somewhat genaric. For instance a lot of the scenarios in this book have been done before in fantasy books/movies in the past. I mean the whole mind control bit? Done. The idea forming about Meghan's powers that I can't talk about because it's a spoiler? Done. As for the romance part...while I definitely see potential in the relationships (although I still think Ash and Meghan's relationship could have stood for more slow developement) it's all so terribly cliche. I mean how many love triangles of this sort have we seen lately? Tons. Forbidden love? Been there, done that. These particular issues to me bring down an otherwise really good book series.
Since I know people are wondering, I'm Team Puck. But not Team Puck for Meghan. I'm Team Puck because Puck is an awesome character and I like him more then Ash. After this book, I personally don't think Meghan deserves him. Not that she even looks at him twice with hunky sullen Ash around. That was another thing that annoyed me in this briefly was how Meghan was practically Ash, Ash, Ash throughout the whole book. It was like all that personal strength she got near the end of the first book went away. Though luckily she never got as bad as Bella Swan. So that said, I still enjoy this series, and I think it's good. I just think that Kagawa is capable of so much more. But this is only her first series so maybe she'll improve even more and then her next books will be even more awesome because she's more creative with the plot.
WHO SHOULD READ: Those that read the first book, fans of faerie books, Wicked Lovely fans, Twilight fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five dresses sewn by dwarfs

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Book Review: Princess of Glass

TITLE: Princess of Glass
Book 2 in the 12 Dancing Princesses series
AUTHOR: Jessica Day George
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: retelling, fantasy, romance
PREMISE: Poppy from George's Princess of the Midnight Ball gets her own romance in this retelling of Cinderella
MY REVIEW: Some of you may recall that I read George's Midnight Ball a few months back and kind of loved it. So I was very happy to find out that George decided to give my favorite princess Poppy her own book. It doesn't disapoint either. This one is a retelling of Cinderella and it's one of the more interesting tales of it that I've read (and I've read quite a few of them being the fairytale freak that I am).
One thing I loved about this was hands down Poppy. I love me my spunky princesses (can't wait for the Rapunzel movie coming out next week) and Poppy is definitely spunky and kind of hilarious. I love that she plays cards and isn't overly concerned with finding true love. I also found the character that was Cinderella interesting because I know that Cinderella has never been written this way. Granted, I found Ella rather irritating, but it was an interesting idea character wise. I will say I found the ending chaotic like I did with the other one and didn't particularly care for that part, but overall it was good. Definitely reccomend this to those that liked The Princess of the Midnight Ball. I also really hope that George continues writing these retellings with all the princesses because I would personally love to see her take on Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Frog Prince and so on.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Cinderella, if you've read Princess of the Midnight Ball, fans of fairytale retellings
MY RATING: Four out of Five glass slippers

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Book Review: Annexed

TITLE: Annexed
AUTHOR: Sharon Dogar
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: historical fiction, drama
PREMISE: See Anne Frank's story and beyond through the eyes of Peter van Pels...
MY REVIEW: I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book or not. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of my most beloved books. I think everyone should read it at least once. While I was curious about it from Peter's view, this idea seemed unnecessary to me. Luckily Dogar managed to surprise me.
I will say sometimes the writing style took some getting used to, and Peter doesn't seem as personable as Anne Frank but this does give a lot of insight to the story of Anne Frank. It gives insight to how other people in the Annex viewed Anne, to the van Pels family, and even to what they may have thought on Anne's views in her diary. I also have to say it's gutsy of the author to give us a glimpse of what life might have been like for Peter in the camps. Most authors in YA probably would have been uncomfortable with that aspect of the story and I must say I too found it difficult to get through because of all the horror that occured in these camps (if you're one of those who think the holocaust was a big hoax, it WASN'T. Trust me, I actually went to one of the camps on a trip to Europe in High School. It happened as horrifying as that is to think about).
This is not a cheesy romantic typical YA book so if you want that, you'll be horribly disapointed. If however, you want a different take on the Anne Frank story, I highly recomend this read. Thank you to the publisher on Net Galley for sending me an ebook copy of this for reading.
WHO SHOULD READ: those that have read Diary of Anne Frank, you aren't squeemish
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five diaries

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Book Review: The Fool's Girl

TITLE: The Fool's Girl
AUTHOR: Celia Rees
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: fiction rewrite, historical fiction, drama
PREMISE: In this continuation of where Shakespeare's play Twelth Night left off, we get to see what happened to Violetta and how exactly Shakespeare got his inspiration for his play.
MY REVIEW: I will say this: Rees is a talented author. She managed to capture the spirit of Shakespeare, while being historically accurate, and I have to admit, the idea is creative. I just wasn't that into it. But it had nothing to do with writing quality.
I think in order to appreciate this you have to be a hardcore Shakespeare fan. I appreciate Shakespeare (didn't love him so much in High School though;))and have read a few of his works. This one is not one I really remember all that well, mostly because it's just not my favorite of his. For those wondering my favorite of his is Two Men From Verona. If you get the chance, go see a production of it, it is hilarious.
So that said, this book is really for a certain audience. But even that certain audience may be a tad bored with it. While writing and characters were sound, the plot was a bit dull. No suprises or twists and turns and everything solved by the end of the book. I kept wanting more from it and never getting it. But for the hardcore Shakespeareans out there, this one will be fun.
WHO SHOULD READ: Shakespeare fans, those who've read/watched 12th Night
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five dramatic scenes

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In My Mailbox (21)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by Kristi over at The Story Siren that tells people what new books we've gotten over the week. All the links in this post go to the book's amazon page if you want more info on it. Here's what I got this week:

Downloaded from the awesome Net Galley:
Annexed by Sharon Dogar-Diary of Anne Frank from Peter's POV. As fascinated by all things Anne Frank as I am, I had to check this one out. Thank you Houghton Mifflin Books for this copy.
Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber-Yes, this is a new series started by the author of the hilarious Vampire Kisses series. It comes out December 28th. Thank you HarperCollins for the copy!

From the Library:
The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee-a ghost story/mystery staring Dickens? You know I'm there.
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey-Book I meant to read earlier this year.
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson-See above.

Bought at store:
Zombies VS Unicorns by various authors-FINALLY got this book. Can't wait to read it. I bought it mostly because there are short stories in the Killer Unicorns verse and The Forest of Hands and Teeth verse. Plus it had tons of authors I love like Meg Cabot and Garth Nix and of course the ever awesome Holly Black.
I Am America and So Can You by Stephan Colbert.-Okay this won't be reviewed as it's nonfiction (technically...) but I had to share it because I'm a huge Stewart and Colbert fan (yes, I thought their rally was an awesome idea and it actually made me sad that I no longer live in the DC area...) and Borders had this for 4.99! Awesome, no?
Also not a link for this but I snagged a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows bookmark as well. How excited are you guys for the movie? I'll be seeing it on my birthday (Nov. 23rd) if everything goes as planned. Expect a post here immediately after I see it.

Book Review: Incarceron

TITLE: Incarceron
Book 1 in the Incarceron series
AUTHOR: Catherine Fisher
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: young adult
GENRE: steampunk, mystery, adventure
PREMISE: In the infamous prison Incarceron, Finn is a prisoner with a mysterious past who discovers a key that lets him meet Claudia, a woman who claims to be from the Outside...
MY REVIEW: First, apologies that there's no image. For some reason blogger is being a butt and not letting me post images today. That said, I loved this book to death. First breath it all in: no werewolves, vampires, faeries, or angels to be had. All normal people...for the most part. Nor is it the usual: girl moves to new place and meets guy who is different but pulls at her soul stuff. No. This book is actually creative.
First off, the characters are definitely complicated and three-dimensional. In fact, you may not even like any of them, though I personally thought Claudia was awesome. There is also a lot of thought provoking things in this book without it being heavy handed. Plus there's a complicated plot that doesn't involve romance or a love triangle. In fact there's very little romance in it and some people may not like that but I was personally happy about this because it was nice seeing a plot that didn't revolve around a love triangle for a change. Plus as an added bonus, the writing is actually GOOD. The only thing that slightly bothered me about the book was the revelation about Incarceron that seemed...silly. I won't give it away but trust me, it's a little out there.
Word has it that this may be made into a movie. I kind of do and kind of don't want this to happen. I kind of do because I bet it'll be awesome to see on screen. Fisher's world building is superb in this and I've developed a fondness for these steampunk settins so I really look forward to it if it does get made. I kind of don't because much of the complications in this book are internal. It'll require superb actors/actresses in the teen community to pull these characters off and I don't know if Teen Hollywood has those kind of people available judging from what I've seen lately from the teen set (with the possible exception of maybe Emma Stone and Amanda Syfried...who would both have to dye their hair to play Claudia). So torn about that. But I will say I am definitely looking forward to Sapphique coming out in December.
WHO SHOULD READ: Steampunk fans, if you like books like Leviathan, those that don't mind a lack of romance or darkness in their books
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five lace corset dresses

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Book Review: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

TITLE: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Book 2 in the Gallagher Girls series
AUTHOR: Ally Carter
PUBLISHED: 2007
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: mystery, adventure
PREMISE: Cammie is still reeling from heartbreak but in a school for spies she doesn't have time to dwell. Especially not when cute spy boys arrive at the school and turn Gallagher Academy upside down.
MY REVIEW: My love affair with Carter's books continues. I loved this just as much as the first one, if not better. Mostly because 1) Spy school is AWESOME! I want to attend! and 2) Zach is a ten times more interesting and better love interest then Josh. He actually challenged Cammie and also wasn't slightly sexist. Plus, the boy is hot and as I said, interesting. I also bought him and Cammie together and they technically never even really got together. Really hope he shows up in the next two books at some point.
I also love how Carter is not afraid to have strong females in this but doesn't over do it. Much as I love feminist books (you have Tamora Pierce to thank for this) sometimes they can be a little over the top in the women are super great message. This one has a very nice balance. There's a definite feminist message but it's balanced. For example the girls are just as good as the guys in this, but no one goes on about it. In fact, gender is never even brought up. It's actually about school pride for the most part. Never once do the males imply that these girls would make bad spies simply because they're female. But Carter doesn't forget that these are still teen girls. Teen girls who haven't been around boys since coming to Gallagher.
While I do think the ending was somewhat of a let down, I am still eager to read this. I'm dying to know what happened to Cammie's dad, if she'll get with Zach (I hope so) or heck, even background on characters like Mr. Solomon would be awesome. Have I also mentioned I love Bex and Liz?
WHO SHOULD READ: Those that have read and liked the first book, those that liked Heist Society, spy noir fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five stolen school vans

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