Book Review: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Ink and Bone

Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: NAL, 352 Pages
Publication Date: July 7, 2015

From Goodreads:
In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When [his friend] inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.

Review
Pam and I read this book as part of our local book club.  We all agreed it was a great overall book with a few strengths but also a few weaknesses we hope get addressed as the series moves forward. 

Sheri's Review:
One of the things I liked best was also one of the things I found confusing.  There were aspects of the book that made it feel as if it was set back in time, maybe around the late 1800's.  On the other hand, the book was clearly set in the future.  The switching between historical ways of doing things and the imagined world Caine creates kept me off  balance.  While there is a "romantic" plot line it is such a small part of this first book that it was a nice change from some of the other books I have been reading lately. Unfortunately, the limited time spent on that relationship also made it difficult to understand the strength of what the two felt for one another.  Even though I don't often enjoy books from a male point of view I truly enjoyed getting to know Jess and trying to figure out his motivation.  His relationship with his family, particularly his brother, is something I definitely look forward to learning more about as the series progresses.  My last comment is a positive nod and thank you to Cain for including a gay character whose sexuality simply exists without being a defining part of the storyline.

Pam's Review:
What I liked most about this book is that books are so important and are such an integral part of the plot.  The world the author has created is fascinating, although I did have questions that weren't explicitly answered and I kind of had to fill in the blanks myself.  I viewed the Library as the government and the government is in complete control of knowledge because it has all of the books, the physical books.  The way people read is through the Library and they all sort of have Kindle like readers.  What wasn't entirely clear to me is whether the Library declines requests and whether it actually changes the books that people read versus the real book.  I decided that that had to be the way it worked and that it made sense given the plot of the book and how powerful the Library was.

Loved the politics and the characters, although I didn't feel like we got to know them that well, mostly because the book is told in the limited POV of Jess.  This is one of those books that would have been better with multiple POVs.  But that's probably a personal preference of mine.

All in all, I definitely recommend this series and I can't wait to read the next one!

Two for One Book Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars

Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 240 pages
Publication Date: May 13, 2014

From Goodreads:
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Sheri's Review:
While I don't normally choose suspense novels, I really enjoyed this one because I didn't spend the whole book stressed out by a sense of foreboding.  In fact, there were times I relaxed into the story forgetting that something bad was lurking.  I loved the unconditional nature of the relationships between the cousins, I was fascinated by the fairy tale stories that prefaced many of the chapters, and I desperately wanted Cady to be okay.

I know a ton of people have already reviewed this one so I don't have much else to add except......I kept forgetting these kids were living in 2014.  Something about the way the book was written and what the families were like reminded me of the 1970s.  Then there would be a reference to an email or a cell phone and I would have to remind myself its a contemporary story.  I don't know if anyone else had the same feeling of disorientation but  I think it only added to the suspense of the story for me.

I really am sorry I can't say more but its hard to review this one without spoilers but I would DEFINITELY recommend this book even if you don't normally like suspense.  In fact, I would love some recommendations for more books like this one if you have any!

Pam's Review:
An unreliable narrator.
A messed up family.
Issues of class, discrimination, and greed.
A heartbreaking story.
Teenagers being really stupid.
A twisty story with an ending I didn't see coming.
So much suffering.
But possibly ending with hope?

Anyone know why they were called liars??

Really enjoyed this one, but very depressing.  I had to read a light and fluffy book right after.

Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After 

Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton, 339 pages
Publication Date: August 14, 2014

From Goodreads:
From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Our Review:
We heartily agree that Isla and the Happily Ever After was our favorite book in the Anna and the French Kiss series by Stephanie Perkins.  There is so much to enjoy about this book but we wanted to focus on just a few of our favorite aspects.

Without a doubt Josh is possibly one of our favorite young adult male romantic characters.  We love his backstory, his artistic ability, his attitude toward his senior year, his tattoo, and the way he observes and knows Isla.  Through her writing Stephanie Perkins found a way to let us know Josh as well as Isla even though the book is only written from Isla'a point of view.  We love Josh!!!

We very much appreciated that there was no actual love triangle but there was the specter of past relationships specifically in the rabbit metaphor.  We can't say more but you will also hate the rabbits!  

We also appreciated how frank and healthy the sexual relationships are between the characters.  We believe it's important that actual young adult readers get some discussion of sex between teenagers and when the discussion is positive and involves safe sex we couldn't ask for more.  It's not fade to black so you actually know what happens, but it doesn't go on and on like a New Adult novel.

The dialogue between the characters was realistic and hilarious.  Stephanie Perkins has a great ear for dialogue. 

Isla is such a relatable character.  She's adorably awkward.  She's a good student, loves to read about adventures but is very shy and has had a crush on Josh for so long it's hard for her to believe that he could like her.  This felt real.  Reading about them getting to know each other and falling in love…we both smiled so much in this book.  There are so many awww moments.  There are so many laugh out loud moments.  The ultimate feel good book…READ IT!!!!!

Posted by: Pam and Sheri

Two for One Review: Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Dangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures #1)

Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 368 pages
Expected Publication Date: May 20, 2014
*ARC received from publisher via NetGalley

From Goodreads:
Ridley Duchannes will be the first to tell you that she's a bad girl. She's Dark. She's a Siren. You can never trust her, or even yourself when she's around. Lucky for her, Wesley "Link" Lincoln can never seem to remember that; quarter Incubus or not, his heart is Mortal when it comes to Ridley. When Link heads to New York City to start a music career, Ridley goes along for the ride-and she has her own reasons. As if leaving small-town Gatlin for the big city, trying to form a band, and surviving life with a partially reformed Siren isn't hard enough already, Link soon learns he has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.

Sheri's Review:
Having previously listened to the Beautiful Creatures series this was my first experience with the written words of Garcia and Stohl who have a lovely writing style in my opinion. Even though the main characters, Ridley and Link, have moved to New York I still felt the pull of Southern culture thorough out this story. Since I loved this aspect of the original series it helped me to continue to feel connected to the Beautiful Creatures series. That said, I don't think you need to read Beautiful Creatures to enjoy this book. The character of Ridley and her backstory and her choices are interesting enough. Learning more about Sirens and their place in Caster order was fascinating. The complexity of the relationships between Casters and Incubuses continues to intrigue me.

Link continues to make me laugh but he also makes me feel melancholy about the fierce attachments young people make even when the relationships are not good for them. I thought the new characters making up the New York band were inventive, fun, and just creepy enough.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the Beautiful Creatures series or to readers who have no idea who Ethan and Lena are and why Gatlin is such an important place.

Questions for Others: There was something not quite right in the timeline presented in the book regarding Ridley, her time in Barbados, and the new "friends" she makes in New York. I can't wait to hear what others think about this.

Pam's Review:
I enjoyed this book, but I felt like I was dropped right in the middle of it with no explanation. The authors definitely assume you have recently read the Beautiful Creatures series. It's been awhile for me and I would have liked more reminders on who people were and even the world and how everything worked.

Ridley was an interesting main character. I didn't really like her in the Beautiful Creatures series and I didn't like her for a lot of this book, but she grew on me. Part of the reason she did is because she grows and changes throughout the book. She's struggling with her fate, her destiny to be dark, and wanting to be different. The authors include scenes between Ridley and Lena from when they were young, before Ridley was claimed by the dark side, and those scenes added to the complexity of her character and made me feel more sympathetic toward her.

Link…still not the biggest fan of him and he doesn't add a lot to this story except for being Ridley's connection to being good, even being human.

There was one character whose name I won't mention so I don't spoil things, but I didn't get why that character cared so much about Ridley. It sort of came out of nowhere, and I would have liked to see that relationship develop rather than have this character so deeply affected by a couple of conversations with Ridley.  I just wasn't feeling it, although I'm interested to see how all of that plays out.

I did like the new New York characters and I think the series has potential, but to be honest, not a whole lot happens in this book.  Except for the ending.  Yet another middle of the scene cliffhanger.  

Two for One Book Review: Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Across a Star-Swpt Sea (For Darkness Shows the Stars #2)
Author:  Diana Peterfreund
Publisher:  Balzer & Bray, 464 pages
Publication Date:  October 15, 2013

From Goodreads:
Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.


Pam's Review:
What an incredible read.  I loved the main characters, Persis and Justin.  Persis is so strong and committed to freeing people who have been given a drug that mimics the effects of the Reduction.  In order to be a spy, she has to pretend to be an empty-headed socialite who is only concerned with shopping and parties.  Then she meets Justin and still has to continue the charade, even though she wants to show him that she's really smart.  But Justin has his secrets as well, and they don't trust each other even when they're falling for each other.  Justin is a great romantic interest and a hero (who has made mistakes) in his own right.  It's refreshing to read a YA novel like this one, post-apocalyptic with sci-fi thrown in, that has a male romantic interest who is not a jerk.  Instead, he's a smart, slightly geeky scientist who is actually a good guy.  The secondary characters are also well-drawn and I enjoyed that some of the chapters were told from their POVs as well as from Persis's and Justin's.  It worked really well.

The plot is fast-paced, engaging, and filled with political intrigue and danger.  This novel is set in the same world as For Darkness Shows the Stars, but in this part of the world the Reduced were cured a long time ago (although there is a huge side effect from the cure).  It's inspired from The Scarlet Pimpernel, which I haven't read, but it did make me want to read it!  You don't have to have read For Darkness Shows the Stars to enjoy this, it really does stand alone.  The only negative thing I have to say is that it ends quite abruptly.  I would have liked another chapter or two or maybe even an epilogue.  The main story is wrapped up, but there were a couple of small loose ends.  In sum, an amazing book that I highly recommend.

Sheri's Review:
I also truly enjoyed this book but I did find the first few chapters confusing as I was trying to keep straight the various people, places, and terminology.  I think it was more confusing for me because I was reading it on the kindle where I find it difficult to go back and reread and because I had just finished For Darkness Shows the Stars.  Even though the two books are set in the same world they have different social structures and use different terminology so I was often confused trying to figure out the parallels.  Persis and Justin are wonderful individual characters but their love story wasn't developed enough in my opinion.  Again, having just completed the first book might have set up an unrealistic expectation because I loved the relationship between the characters in the first book so much.  I agree with Pam that the book ended too abruptly but I assumed it was because a third book would follow and I will definitely be reading it.  Diana Peterfreund is a wonderful author.

Two for One Review: Steel Lily by Megan Curd

Steel Lily (The Periodic Series #1)
Author: Megan Curd
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: August 12, 2013

Goodreads:
AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

…Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

Sheri's Review:
Once again we decided to read a book at about the same time and agreed not to talk about it until we had both finished it. I've been looking forward to reading this book for several months for three basic reasons: it keeps getting stellar reviews, it's classified as steampunk/dystopian, and its self-published. 

Here is my review in 50 words or less: Girl’s parents go missing but other young persons and adults step up to help.  Girl has extraordinary powers while also mistreated.  Girl is persuaded and abducted to leave home.  Girl meets boy and they flirt and they bicker.  Girl discovers the world is more complicated yet simpler than she believed.

My original response: I loved it while reading it on my trans-atlantic flight home.  I couldn't put it down and I was very frustrated when the battery life on my e-reader failed.  What I loved most about the world created by Megan Curd was the idea of the domes themselves.  For some reason I kept thinking about that big silver sphere at Epcot Center and what it would be like to live in a self-enclosed space.  I generally liked the primary characters, even though I am not a fan of the, "girl falls in love with jerk who is really sensitive" storyline between the two main characters. 

I understand why so many have given this book such high praise. Even though I found some of the plot development weak and unrealistic I was thoroughly entertained.  I was also impressed by the quality of the writing and story for a self-published book.  I have only read a few other self-published books and this was definitely one of the most polished I have come across.  The most significant critique I can level at this book is I don't actually agree that this is a great example of STEAMPUNK as I understand the genre.  Had I not heard others identify it as steampunk I would not have.  While steam is definitely a central theme in the book I wasn't particularly aware of references to Victorian culture or technologies.

Pam's Review:
I was a little disappointed in this book.  I liked the premise (Avery being a water Elementalist living in a dome) and I enjoyed some of the bantering between Avery and Jaxon (who reminds me of Jace from The Mortal Instruments), and Avery is quite sassy, which I enjoyed.  Jaxon is the typical obnoxious hottie.  However, I had so many questions that weren't answered and there were things that just didn't make sense to me when it came to plot and characters.  There are so many interesting ideas, but they lack development.  The world building, the characters, the plot...all a bit lacking.  

Overall, the book is fairly enjoyable.  And I agree with Sheri, I have no idea why this is described as steampunk, but maybe I just don't understand what that means.  

Book Review: Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Epic Fail

Author: Claire LaZebnik
Publisher: Harper Teen, 295 pages
Publication Date: August 2, 2011

From Goodreads:
At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

- As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school--not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
- As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Pam and Sheri's Review
We decided to read the book at the same time and then come up with a few questions that we would both answer.  

Since this book was clearly a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, what aspects of the retell did you like and didn't like?

Pam: I liked being able to identify which character from Epic Fail was the character from Pride and Prejudice (P&P).  While I love the basic plot from P&P (misunderstandings between characters) Epic Fail was such a close retelling of the plot that it made the book too predictable.
Sheri: I also enjoyed identifying the characters but also thinking about the differences in their personalities or behaviors.  For example, the modern mom is more independent and plays a larger role in this version as compared to original where Dad is the more central character.
Pam: The mom character is something that didn't work for me. 
Sheri: Why not?
Pam: I never understood why this tough high school principal is also star struck.
Sheri: It's because she was enamored with Darren's mom who plays tough feminist roles in the movies.  The problem for me were the other contradictions in her character which were probably driven by LaZebnik's desire to create parallels with the original character in P&P.
Pam: It also felt forced when Darren made the negative comments about her family when he was asking her to the dance. 
Sheri: So while we thought it was a cute retelling, we also think it will probably come across as forced and predictable for people really familiar with the original book. 
Pam: This would be my major complaint about the book. I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if I hadn't read P&P first.
Sheri: One thing that I really liked was how LaZebnik updated Mr. Wickham's character in the form of Webster Grant.  Having him use social media to exploit the girls was a clever device.
Pam:  I agree.

Was the emphasis on wealth and beauty among the kids at Coral Tree necessary?
Sheri: I was really bothered by the fact that Elise Benton constantly noticed and talked about how beautiful and perfect the kids were at the school and when someone didn't fit the mold they were described in a negative way.
Pam: I didn't mind that and I thought it was necessary because LaZebnik was trying to create a world where the divide between the sisters and the other kids at the school is pretty vast. While Jane Austen focused on social class differences, LaZebnik created pronounced differences regarding physical appearance and lifestyle. 
Sheri: So by doing this she created more of a division between Elise and Derek that I thought made it a little unrealistic that Derek would fall in love with Elise. 
Pam: I don't know, I think he likes Elise for many of the same reasons that Darcy liked Elizabeth (she loves her sisters, she's free spirited, she challenges him, she doesn't fawn all over him like all the other people who are star-struck, etc).

It may sound like we were being critical of the book but we both thought it was a fun lighthearted read and Sheri immeditately started reading The Trouble With Flirting, which is a modern take on Mansfield Park.

Book Review: All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

All Our Yesterdays

Author:  Cristin Terrill

Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion, 368 pages

Expected Publication Date:  September 3, 2013

From Goodreads:

 "You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. 

Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was. 

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

Pam's Review:

I love time travel books!  They make my head hurt, but in a good way.  This book kept me riveted from the first page, and I couldn’t put it down.  Em was a great character, strong and focused on what she has to do, but it becomes obvious that she is not sure she can kill the person she is supposed to kill.  At first, you aren’t sure who that is, but as the book progresses, it becomes quite clear (I mean, you definitely have a good idea, but there is a red herring thrown in there). 

There is a ton of action in this book and I absolutely loved Finn, at all points in the book.  I felt for James, for who he was and what he wanted to do.  I also felt so bad for Marina and what she had to go through.

Now with a time travel book, there are all of those paradoxes about what you can change and the ripple effect of those changes and then also about encountering yourself in the past and what will happen if you do.  This book has its own take on how all of that works, and while it sort of made sense, you just have to go with it.  I loved the scene at the end, when you find out what Finn and Em talked about and what Finn told her.  So sweet!

And the best thing of all, there's no cliffhanger, everything is resolved.  I heard there was a sequel in the works, but I guess with time travel, you can always do more.  Back to the Future?  Terminator?  But to me, the story was complete.  Definitely recommend this one!

Sheri's Review:
So I should be honest and say that I am one of those people that likes to read the last chapter first.  I know many of you purists will throw your arms up in disgust and say, "BUT WHY?"  Under normal circumstances it allows me to enjoy the book more but in the case of this book it was a very BAD decision and I would not recommend this strategy.

One of the things I loved about this book was knowing it would begin and end in a single book.  While the book was a page turner it took me about a week to finish and I started another book in between.  One of the reasons I found myself putting the book down was I actually never connected with James.  I really didn't feel much of anything towards him.  On the other hand I really liked Finn and loved the way Cristin Terrill developed young Finn and old Finn in such a way that he basically becomes a better version of himself while she takes Marina in a completely different direction.  Given the various rules each author sets in time travel I found it interesting that the characters in her own book had such different responses to their young and old selves. 

Another reason I found myself putting the book down was time traveler Em's attitude toward Marina.  While I understood and began to care for the character of Em I did not feel that way toward Marina.  Em's attitude towards Marina drove me crazy to be frank.  I wish Cristin Terrill had given Marina more depth and complexity as a character.  Given her family situation she could have been a much more interesting character than she was presented as. I appreciated that the  minor characters only played minimal roles in the plot which made it easier to keep things straight while moving back and forth between periods of time.  

Overall I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it as a great time-travel book!

Two for One Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends, Pages 390
Publication Date: January 8, 2013

From Goodreads:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Pam's Review:
Absolutely adored this book.  I kept seeing it everywhere and for some reason I just wasn't sure if I wanted to read it.  What was I thinking?? So glad I finally read it. The only perk for waiting was that I was able to immediately read Scarlet when I finished.

Cinder was a phenomenal character, I loved everything about her.  Loved that she was a mechanic, loved that she was a cyborg (although that word doesn't quite fit, if you ask me), loved her loyalty and affection for Iko (the android who just wants to be human and looking for the perfect android body).  Loved Iko, she was hilarious.  "'Prince Kai! Check my fan, I think I'm overheating.'"  And Prince Kai--what a fantastic love interest--cannot get enough of him.  

Great evil villain--Queen Levana. I just hate her.  Given that I have such strong emotions for all of these characters, it makes you realize what a fantastic writer Marissa Meyer is.

The world-building is unique, interesting, and well-thought out (plague, cyborgs, cyborg draft, intergalactic issues).  Enjoyed the politics between Earth and Luna, and that obviously plays even a bigger role as the series continues.  The big reveal at the end wasn't really a surprise, but who cares?

The plot was fast-paced and I read it in basically one sitting. And finally, as further proof of how much I loved this book, even though I read it on my Kindle, I bought the hardback too.  Paying double is worth it for this one!

Sheri's Review:
So I completely agree with Pam's review and have to admit I also loved the book from the minute I saw the image on the cover.  I also loved how Marissa Meyer took the basic storyline of Cinderella and updated it by making Cinder much more self reliant and the prince less interested in Cinder's beauty and more interested in who she is and her skills as a mechanic.  I'm not sure if I would consider Iko or Dr. Erland the fairy godmother in this version but I appreciated the fact that Cinder's own self-doubts about attending the ball were explored.

Another aspect of the story that I loved was the setting in New Beijing.  I kept wondering throughout the book if this was intentional given the focus on human-android-cyborg relationships.  I am really looking forward to future books in part to try and understand if the other societies on Earth also develop such strong emotional relationships between the various groups.

Finally if you haven't checked out Marissa Meyer's homepage I strongly recommend it.  I loved reading her extended biography and learning more about the person who created such an unusual world, there are also some great discussion questions accompanied by writing and visual arts exercises.  The teacher in me is singing right now!!!  A final reason to check out the homepage is the countdown clock to Cress!

Two For One Review: Vampire Academy Series

Vampire Academy Series

Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill, 6 Books in Series
Publication Dates: 2007-2010
Penguin Group USA and Audible Audio Edition
Listening Length Ranges: 9 to 17 hours
Narrator: Varies

Summary of Vampire Academy Series
The series starts with Rose Hathaway, a Dhampir (half vampire), and her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess, returning to St. Vladimir’s Academy boarding school for vampires.  While Rose is training to fulfill her duty to protect the Moroi (living vampires) from Strigoi (evil dead vampires) her best friend Lissa is learning to wield her unusually powerful magical gifts.  Both girls experience the highs and lows of unrequited and true love while at St. Vladimirs.  While each book is its own fabulous story it’s the kind of series that you will want to start and not stop until it’s done. 

Sheri's Audiobook Series Review:
With the exception of the final book the others range in audio length from 9 to 13 hours and are solid narrations despite using three different narrators to complete the series.  Since I didn't read the books first the short narration length meant I could finish a book a week during my usual commute which made it easy to keep track of characters and the plot.  As the books lengthened and the plot became more complex the final narrator Emily Shaffer did a great job using distinct voices to represent the characters.  I enjoyed the content and the narrators so much I listened to the books one after the other!  My favorite details from the series are Dimitri's obsession with Westerns and the relationship between Rose's parents.  I would love a book just about those two!

Pam's Series Review:

This is one of my favorite series, although I have to admit, the first book was just ok.  I kept hearing about it and finally read the first one, and I was like…eh.  Rose bothered me a bit, she was pretty obnoxious, and Lissa definitely bothered me.  She was such a wimp.  And everyone talked about how great Dimitri was, how swoon-worthy, etc. and I just couldn’t see it.  So I read the first book and decided to read something else.  But then I decided to give it another chance, and I’m so glad I did!  Every book gets progressively better, and as you get to know the characters better, you just fall in love with them (or hate, the ones you’re supposed to).  So here are the main characters:

Rose:  Pretty bad-ass heroine, but she has her flaws.  She thinks she’s all that.  She’s  reckless and makes some pretty poor decisions.  But she grows and matures throughout the series, and she loves Lissa and Dimitri and makes many sacrifices for them.  If Rose is on your side, she goes all in.  At the end of Book 3, something quite shocking happens (I was just sitting there with my mouth hanging open, tears in my eyes, not quite believing it) and Book 4 is Rose’s journey to do what she believes is right (It’s really hard to write this review spoiler free, by the way).

Dimitri:  I ended up loving Dimitri.  He’s the strong, silent type who has such a good heart. Rose learns even more about Dimitri when she meets his family, and everything you know about Dimitri just makes you sigh.  Definitely a top book boyfriend!

Lissa:  I didn’t like Lissa at first, but she grew on me. At first she relies on Rose too much, but she gets more independent and stronger as each book goes by.  She realizes how much Rose has sacrificed for her (and will in the future, when she is her bodyguard).  And her and Christian are pretty cute.

Christian:  Always liked him.  Cute, sarcastic, and doesn’t take any crap from Rose.  Perfect boyfriend for Lissa. 

Adrian:  I have to say (and I may have some haters here), but I never loved Adrian in this series.  He was the classic bad boy it seemed to me.  and I felt really bad for him (Rose really uses him, which made me mad). To me, he was never really a viable alternative for Rose.  And there's one scene I absolutely hate between him and Rose (what Rose lets him do) and I lost a little respect for Adrian there (and Rose, for that matter).  They were just not good together.  But I absolutely adore him in the Bloodlines series!!

Each book has a lot of action (and romance).  The whole politics of this world is interesting, how the Dhampirs (half vampires) are charged with protecting the Moroi (full, living vampires) and they really don’t have a choice if they want to stay in that world.  They’re sort of second-class citizens.  Richelle Mead definitely has an interesting take on vampires, with Dhampirs, the Moroi, and then Strigoi, the evil ones that are “typical” vampires (can’t be out in the daylight, kill, soulless). 

I loved the ending—absolutely perfect and satisfying.  The way a series should end.