Tempestuous, By Lesley Livingston- Review

The third and final part to Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange trilogy, Tempestuous released into stores on Jan1st in the States and a few days later (the 8th) in Canada.  I was one of many rushing out to grab my copy, but was waylaid reading it due to some competition from my mom.  See she'd dug right into the first three when she came to visit this past summer, so I knew she'd be eager for the third and last book when I headed home the next day, and took it with me with the full realization I'd have to wait until she was finished.

It had been some time since I'd read the first two books, so I found this last book to be a little confusing at times, it cleared up as I neared the end but its made me wonder if I shouldn't have back tracked a bit first. It's annoying really, I normally loath the obligatory "previously in this story" pages in books where you skim along thinking, I know! I know! Get on with it already!  But there you go, just when I figure I don't need it, is of course when I do!

So, close to the end I did some spot reading of both Wondrous Strange and Darklight, just to remind myself about some key points.  That was when I realized the other thing that didn't seem to jive with what I remembered.  Somewhere along the way Lesley's main character, Kelly, lost some of her zest, and feistiness.  It was subtle, subtle enough I couldn't even peg what was bothering me to begin with, but when I doubled back it was suddenly noticeable to me.

The star-crossed lover story line between Kelly and her dashing Irish changeling Sonny was possibly where Kelley's Je Ne Sais Quo evaporated too, as more of this story seemed dedicated to the, loves me/loves me not line of enquiry.  As ever they were a magnetic pair, but further to Darklight Lesley threw a third party into the picture to complicate an already tenuous relationship.  It was in the resolution of that third party where I felt the most satisfied with the ending.  Aunt Em and her past beau also got a nice segment of Tempestuous which I really appreciated.

Although the story wasn't my favourite of the three, it held its own and my interest with the same intensity the previous two stories did.  The swashbuckling fight scenes were extremely enjoyable, and I was happy with how she tied up to the story.  Originally bought as a two parter, Lesley extended it seamlessly and has earned her place among the ranks of my favourite authors.  The Wondrous Strange series is a must have for all YA fantasy lovers, a good love story, a fresh approach to Faerie and some great characters all make it well worth the investment.

Tempestuous, By Lesley Livingston
Published by Harper Collins Teen, January 2011

Undrowned Child and Mouning Emporium News!

I'm an enormous fan of The Undrowned Child series by Michelle Lovric and couldn't possibly recommend it enough.  Which is why I can't wait to spread more great news to entice you to your own spectacular copy. 

Orion has just released the trailer, and it's perhaps the coolest book trailer I've seen to date.  What do you think?

And  in publishing  news, Random House's Delacorte Press has picked The Undrowned Child up for American release! 

Coming out on August 9, 2011 with an entirely new cover, though it has nothing on the mermaid on the Italian cover! VavaVoom!  It released in Italy on the 27th.

For those of you still partial to the fab original artwork head on over to the Book Depository where you have the option of either the Orion cover or the Random House Cover.

If your looking for more Undrowned Child and Mourning Emporium goodies check out my previous posts:

The Undrowned Child Review

The Mourning Emporium Review

Interview with Author Michelle Lovric

Michelle Lovrics Guest Feline Friday Posts 1, 2 and 3

Not to mention my recommendation in my suggested Gifts for Middle school readers

Clockwork Prince Teasers!

Because as always, Mundie Mom's has THE best news (second only to Cassie herself of course) on all things Clockwork or City related, I present to you- the latest teasers!
From Cassies Saturday night Tweet (I really must board the twitter bus), Cassie's words are in purple:

Jem from earlier today: "But you are much prettier," Jem said.


Will: "Tess,” he said, and she thought, once again, how no one but him ever called her that. “That is all I think about."


Tessa: “Jem!” she cried again, and when he did not look up, she strode across the room, and wrenched the bow out of his hand. “Jem, stop!"


And lastly: "I would die for you, you know that." - unattributed. Clockwork Prince. There, distracted I hope!

the background shows Temple Bar, on Fleet Street, near the Institute

"What desperation drove you to me, in the middle of the night, in a rainstorm? What has changed at the Institute? I can only think of one thing..."

And from earlier this week, Cassie revealed the Clockwork Prince Placeholder cover and one quote:

My First In My Mailbox Post!

Well after a year of blogging I thought I might take a moment to take part in The Story Siren's weekly meme In My Mailbox.  Partly because I eagerly check out all the posts for this meme every Sunday (I love to know whats on the docket review wise), but also because I'd like to commemorate the start of what I hope will be a beautiful friendship. 

Just before Christmas the lovely folks at TOR contacted me, to my absolute joy.  With a fantastic list of authors including esteemed writers Cory Doctorow and Orson Scott Card, (not to mention the lovely Cherie Priest books I just tore through) I am nothing short of thrilled at getting the opportunity to dig into some of their other authors who I've not had a chance to pick up yet.

My first package popped up on my doorstep yesterday, (it was too big for the mailbox!).  It's the starter pack including three part ones in ongoing TOR series.

Legacies; Shadow Grail, No. 1, By Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill (in anticipation of part 2, Conspiracies coming out July 2011)

Personal Demons, By Lisa Desrochers (in anticipation of book 2, Original Sin also due in July)

And the one I'm most excited about, Award winning Laurence Yeps book 1 in his City Trilogy, City of Fire (in anticipation of Junes release of part 2 City of Ice). What a pretty cover!

As you can see, Thurman has busily laid claim to all three of the books, so I guess I'm going to have to fight for my turn to read them.

The Debut Author Challenge- 2011 Edition

Last year I came to the challenge a little late, but I still managed to read about 8 qualifying debut authors.  This year I'm aiming higher, shouldn't I always after all?
Scrolling through the list it's hard to say what I'll grab first, January is filled with fab looking debut author releases, but I have to say Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. is probably the funniest one on the list and I think I'll definitely have to read it! (By Caissie St. Onge, published by Ember press May 10th 2011).


So let the games begin folks, I challenge you 12 debut YA or Middleschool authors, and raise you as many as you can get your hands on in addition to those 12.

Huge Once Every Never News and Contest! For all of you who love Lesley Livingston as much as me!!

By now most of you have probably finished part three in the Wondrous Strange series by Lesley, Tempestuous, and are dying for her next project.  Well as I announced a while back, her next project is coming soon!  This July Lesley's new series, Once Every Never, book one releases in Canada.

Clarinet Reid is a pretty typical teenager. On the surface. She’s smart, but a bit of slacker; outgoing, but just a little insecure; not exactly a mischief-maker… but trouble tends to find her wherever she goes. Also? She unwittingly carries a centuries-old Druid Blood Curse running through her veins.

 Now, with a single thoughtless act, what started off as the Summer Vacation in Dullsville suddenly spirals into a deadly race to find a stolen artifact, avert an explosive catastrophe, save a Celtic warrior princess, right a dreadful wrong that happened centuries before Clare was even born, and if there’s still time—literally—maybe even get a date.

 This is the kind of adventure that happens to a girl once every… never. 

But the exciting part comes now!  As one of 5 bloggers who'll exclusively reveal the cover this Thursday I'm also being given the opportunity to give some of my fine followers an amazing sampler to wet their appetites for this story!
One of you will win a one of a kind two chapter sampler, bound in the cover for the book and signed by Lesley herself!  I'm so insanely jealous right now I can't even begin to describe it, hahahhaah.  So make sure to tune in this Thursday for the Big Reveal and Contest, you don't want to miss out on such a super chance.


And in case you now can't get enough Lesley to hold you over until Thursday (understandable, she's pretty freaking fun) check out these links to hold you over.

Lesley's Blog
Lesley's Site
My Review of Wondrous Strange
My Review of Darklight
And coming up Monday, my Review of the Final part, Tempestuous


Of course, I'm sure you want to maximize your chances by checking out the other bloggers of this exclusive group!
Midnight Bloom Reads
A Simple love of Reading
Crissi's Blog
A and C's Book Junkies
Dreaming of Books

A case of the funnies for Feline Friday's

Because Pickles just makes me laugh.

Books I can't wait to buy in the next 4 months, and why I'll be destitute until June

So between February 1st and May 24th there are no fewer than 12 books I would love to have  immediately, of course they would cost a small fortune (even spread over 4 months!) so I'm guessing a few of them won't be release day purchases.  But since I'm going to be counting the days to each of them, I thought I would share the anticipation!  Trust me, you'll want all of them!


February

Delirium, By Lauren Oliver
Published by Middle Grade February 1st,  2011





















Tortall and Other Lands; A Collection of Tales, By Tamora Pierce
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers, February 22nd, 2011


















Fast, Fresh, Simple, By Donna Hay
Published by Harper Collins Australia, February 1st, 2011


















March

Beyonders, A World Without Heroes, By Brandon Mull

Published by Aladdin, March 15th 2011

The Dark and Hollow Places, By Carrie Ryan

Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, March 22nd 2011

April

City of Fallen Angels, By Cassandra Clare

Published by Margaret K. McElderry, April 5th 2011

Red Glove, By Holly Black

Published by Margaret K. McElderry, April 5th 2011

The Gathering, By Kelley Armstrong

Published by Doubleday Canada, April 5th 2011

May


Illusions, By Aprilynne Pike
Published by Tween, May 3rd 2011



















Kane Chronicles, Book 2, The Throne of Fire, By Rick Riordan
Published by Hyperion, May 3rd 2011





















Beauty Queens, By Libba Bray
Published by Scholastic, May 24th, 2011






















Warlock, By Michael Scott (Nicholas Flamel series)
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, May 24th, 2011

The Serpent's Tale, By Ariana Franklin- Review

Book two of Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series was an exciting read for a number of reasons.  The first being that it wasn't involved in the great jam accident the first book was unlucky enough to be part of, and the second was we get to meet Henry's formidable consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
I know what you're thinking...Jam?
On the way to visit my mom, a couple of weeks ago, there was an explosion of Peach Vanilla Bean jam in my suitcase, the most unfortunate victim being my good friend Jenna's copy of The Mistress of the Art of Death (Well and my suitcase.  Trust me, you don't want to have to scrub dried up, sticky jam from a suitcase. In the bathtub. In January.).  Meaning I had to unstick each page from the ones before and after it, as I read.  Very tedious, but it smelled nice.
So it was great joy to flip through the pages of The Serpents Tale without stickage.


In book one, the ground work is laid, characters are fleshed out and Adelia is held in England awaiting to serve Henry II whenever he next needs her.  She's not thrilled by the situation, but the Fens, Gyltha, Mansur and Ulf make it more than she could have hoped for, and she finds herself at home in England.  Until the Bishop of St. Albans, Rowley Picot bursts into her life again, demanding she throw herself into more dangerous situations in the name of the King.  Rosamund Clifford, the Kings mistress, has been poisoned and Adelia must find the culprit before England dissolves into civil war as King and Queen use the death to further their dislike of each other to new and horrifying heights.  


History is full of fascinating royal couples with strange and compelling dynamics, and Ariana picked well when she set Adelia's stories in England under Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.  She does nothing but charming justice by putting words into their mouths and fleshing them out into people instead of history lessons.  The Serpents Tale, which primarily deals with the royal couples tumultuous later relationship, also once again highlights many intriguing aspects of Medieval life including English winter weather in the time period, cloister life in a more modern Abbey, marriage laws and Christmas customs.  Populating her story with just the right mix of Mystery, intrigue, wonderful characters and fascinating historical tidbits that she had me turning to book three as soon as I'd put down book two.


A great series I don't want to see end any time soon!


The Serpents Tale, By Ariana Franklin
Published by Putnam Adult, January 2008

Red Glove Excerpts and News!

The Sequel to White Cat, and book two in the Curse Workers books, is on my scary long list of must have books releasing in March and April.  And in the run up to it's release and the paperback release of White Cat, Holly Black has been posting Excerpts, with a full first chapter and contests etc coming next month around the 8th!

I only just stumbled on to these excerpts thanks to the lovely Mundie Moms, this afternoon, so I thought I'd share them for all of you who (like me!) are rabid for Red Glove to come out.

So without further ado!

1. Lila and Cassel

She sits next to me and pulls up a handful of weeds. She tries to throw it, but most of the blades stick to her bare fingers. Neither of us is wearing gloves.



“It’s just—why? Why did I do it? Barron could make me remember anything, but what did I remember that let me change these people into objects?”


“I don’t know,” Lila says in a monotone.


I reach out for her shoulder without thinking, rubbing my fingers over the cotton. I no longer know how to say aloud what I feel. Sorry my brothers kept her in a cage, sorry that it took me so long to save her, sorry I changed her in the first place. Sorry I’m bringing up those memories now.


“Don’t,” she says.


My bare fingers still. “Right. I wasn’t thinking.”


“My father wants you to work for him, doesn’t he?” she asks, scooting away from me. Her eyes are bright in the moonlight.


I nod. “He offered me a job at Philip’s funeral.”


Lila groans. “He’s got some conflict going with the Brennan family. He does a lot of his business at funeral parlors these days.” She pauses. “Are you going to do it?”


“You mean am I going to keep on murdering people? I don’t know. I guess I’m good at it. It’s good to be good at something, right?” There’s bitterness in my voice, but not as much as there should be. The horror I felt earlier is fading, being replaced by a kind of resignation.


“Maybe they don’t die when you change them into objects,” Lila says. “Maybe they’re just in suspended animation.”


I shudder. “That sounds even worse.”


She flops back in the grass, looking up at the night sky. “I like how you can see stars out here in the country.”


“This isn’t the country,” I say, turning toward her. “We’re close to two cities and—”


She smiles up at me, and all of a sudden we’re in dangerous territory. I’m above her, looking down at the fall of her silvery hair on the grass, at the way her neck moves when she swallows nervously, at the way her fingers curl in the dirt.


I try to say something, but I can’t remember what we were talking about. All my thoughts melt away as her lips part and her bare hand slides through my hair, pulling me down to her.


She makes a soft sound as my mouth presses against hers, hungry, desperate. Only a monster would do this, but I already know I’m a monster

2. Cassel, Barron and their Mom

Barron is lounging against the secretary desk in a sharkskin suit. Mom is next to him, her hair pulled back into a Hermès scarf with a massive black-and-white hat over it, black gloves, and a low-cut black dress. They’re both wearing sunglasses. She’s bent over, signing a sheet.



I think she’s supposed to look like she’s in mourning.


“Mom,” I say.


“Oh, honey,” she says. “The doctor wants to see you to make sure you don’t have the same thing that killed your brother.” She turns to Ms. Logan, who looks scandalized by the whole encounter. “These things can run in families,” she confides.


“You’re afraid I’m going to come down with a bad case of getting two in the chest?” I say. “’Cause you might be right about that running in families.”


Mom purses her lips in disapproval.


Barron claps me on the back hard. “Come on, funnyman.”


We walk toward the parking lot. I shove my gloved hands deep into the pockets of my uniform. Barron is keeping pace with me. He has left the top couple buttons of his crisp white shirt undone, enough so that I can see a new gold chain slide against his tan skin. I wonder if he’s wearing charms against being worked.


“I thought you wanted us to come get you,” Mom says as she lights a cigarette with a gilt lighter and takes a deep drag. “What’s the matter?”


“All I want is for Barron to tell me where the bodies are,” I say, keeping my voice down as I walk across the lawn. Having them here is surreal. They don’t belong at Wallingford, with its manicured lawns and low voices. They’re both larger than life.

3. Holly says this is one of her favorite scenes in Red Glove

The inside of the elevator is richly burled wood. A video screen above the doors is showing a black-and-white movie without any sound. I don’t recognize the film.



“What’s this place?” I ask finally as the doors slide shut.


“A social club,” Zacharov says, clasping his gloved hands in front of him. Neither of us has pushed any button. “Here, things are private.”


I nod, as though I actually understand what he’s talking about.


When the elevator opens, we’re in a huge room—huge like, seriously, you can’t figure this place is really in New York. The marble floor is mostly covered in an enormous carpet. Along it are islands of two or four club chairs with high backs. The ceiling far above our heads is decorated with intricate plaster moldings. Along the nearest wall is a massive bar, its marble top shining against dark wood paneling. Behind the bar, on a high shelf, are several hulking jars of clear liquor with fruits and spices floating in them: lemons, rose petals, whole cloves, ginger. Uniformed staff move through the room silently, carrying drinks and small trays to the occupants of the chairs.


“Wow,” I say.


He gives me a half grin, one that I have seen on Lila’s face before. It’s unnerving.


An old man with sunken cheeks and a black suit walks up to us. “Welcome, Mr. Zacharov. May I take your coat?”


Zacharov shucks it off.


“Would you like to borrow a sport jacket for your friend?” the man asks him, barely glancing in my direction. I guess I’m breaking some kind of dress code.


“No,” Zacharov says. “We will have drinks and then dinner. Please send someone to us in the blue room.”


“Very good, sir,” the man says, just like a butler in a movie.


“Come,” says Zacharov.


We walk through the room, through double doors into a far smaller library. Three bearded men are sitting together, laughing. One smokes a pipe. Another has a girl in a very short red dress sitting on his knee doing a bump of cocaine off a sugar spoon.


Zacharov sees me staring. “Private club,” he reminds me.


Right.


In the third room a fire is blazing. The room is smaller than the other two, but there’s only one set of doors—the ones we came through—and no one else inside. Zacharov motions that I should sit. I sink into the soft leather. There’s a small, low table between us. A crystal chandelier swings gently above us, scattering bands of colored light across the room.

Mistress of the Art of Death, By Ariana Franklin- Review

As some of you already know I'm a huge history buff.  In fact I went through a four year period where I only read non fiction historical books and not a drop of fiction.  Needless to say, during that time, I covered a fair amount of ground and read everything from famed European Royal biographies (Henry VIII, Elizabeth II, Mary Queen of Scott's, Mary Antoinette, the various Louis's, etc.) to more obscure topics like diaries of British women living in British Imperial India, histories of the black plague, or the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary. So a well written piece of historical fiction is always on the top of my to-read list when I stumble upon it.

Well written historical fiction, of any genre, is a tricky thing to come by.  The author has to be extremely well versed in all the details of the time period they are writing about, as well as a good fictional writer.  They should bring the time period of their books to life with tidbits of fascinating information you're unlikely to have learned in high school history classes, and couple them with great characters and an intriguing plot.  Understandably, many authors don't have the time or inclination to research a time period fully enough to do it justice in anything other than a background kind of way, I.E- description of period costume, characters traveling in coaches  etc.

Ariana Franklin, pen name of author Diana Norman, does not have that problem.  Her series of medieval mysteries involving the charming and complicated Adelia, doctor to the dead, run rampant with fascinating and controversial English history from the reign of King Henry II.  Each page is packed with historical discovery, well rounded and lovable characters and a fascinatingly complex mystery.  Think CSI 12th century England, then throw in some shocking immigrants and rural Englishmen and you'll start to get the gist.  On her research page for The Mistress of the Art of Death she says she researched the 12th century for 15 years, and realized she was done when:

... asking an obscure question of a professor of legal history in Ohio, he wrote back: "Look, we don't know. Your guess is obviously as good as mine."

As someone who has a much smaller, and yet not too shabby knowledge of history I was suitably impressed by her research, and never once felt she was glossing the surface of the time period.  In the end it's treated as it should be, a character in and of itself, fully fleshed out and always done justice.

And you know what? The story was pretty damn good too!

Adelia Aguilar, a Salerno doctor to the dead, is sent to England, by the King of Sicily ,to help with a murderer stalking the medieval town of Cambridge.  There are many dangers for Adelia in England, not the least of them her own standing as an unchaperoned, unmarried, foreign female doctor with a Jew and an Arab accompanying her.  Throw in the hunt for an elusive and very dangerous child killer and the situation quickly becomes downright unmanageable, but her inquisitive mind and stubbornness persist and you'll have to read it yourself to see if she'll be taken down by the killer or the church first.

By the end Adelia, Gyltha, Simon, Mansur and Ulf had me wrapped around their fingers, so completely smitten with each of them, I could hardly wait to dig into book two- The Serpent's Tale.  A fabulous read, I'd recommend it for history buffs and mystery fans alike.

The World Wide Feral Problem - Feline Friday

Much has been said recently in both documentaries and various city efforts about the feral cat problem.  Both Cat City, chronicling Toronto's feral cat problem, and Cat Crazed, chronicling Canadian Wide issues and arguments surrounding the feral cat population vs. wild life and particularly talking about Calgary's efforts to fix the issues, have recently been aired on CBC.  Although the statistics can be depressing, there are an estimated 100,000 feral cats roaming Toronto's streets alone, all the media attention has indicated a big step up in the process.  It's hard for people to view cats living wild on the streets as a problem when cats are universally viewed to be "wild" or "outside" pets who shouldn't be kept in your home but instead allowed to roam free like a squirrel or pigeon.  So it's a big step forward for folks to be actually acknowledging there is indeed a problem.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we're a weird society that cossets and babies our dogs, dressing them and fussing over them, but who turn around and let our cat out the back door to roam the neighborhood every night before we go to sleep or in the morning before we leave the house.  The assumption that somehow they're fully competent  of how to cross the street without being hit by cars, escape from predators like coyotes and stay warm in temperatures where our cities are issuing cold warnings to folks heading outside seems to have magically been attributed to them at some point of time and never worn off.  I've had many street cats through my house over the years, cats who've sometimes lived on the street for years, and let me tell you- they want nothing more than a dish of food, a warm cosy place to sleep and some tummy rubs.  Not one of them has ever begged to be let outside again after moving into my house.  Indeed, some of them have turned into right pudgers because they're constantly worried the dish in front of them is going to be the last and they'll be kicked out to forage for them selves.

I recently received a wonderful email talking about the strides made in Toronto to help deal with the large feral population.  It was inspiring to read what's been done to date, and even more to see how individuals can pitch in for a few hours here and there to help.  I wanted to share some of it with you folks today, there are programs like this popping up all over Canada and the US currently and they're all looking for help.  So get your New Years resolutions in motion and volunteer some of your time for 2011,  together we can make this a problem a thing of the past and help many more kitties get the warm cosy beds, tummy rubs and full food dishes they deserve.

Along with other rescue groups, the City of Toronto, and the Toronto Humane Society, Annex Cat Rescue is a member of the Toronto Feral Cat Coalition. This is a group of rescue minded individuals that meet to discuss the feral problem and how we can work together for the ferals of Toronto.
As a result of our combined efforts, the city opened a free feral spay/neuter clinic in Scarborough this year and the THS has recently opened their own free feral clinic which runs 1-2 times a month on Sundays.  The THS also runs shelter building workshops once a month where colony caretakers can come out to meet other caretakers, work together in building insulated shelters, and take a shelter home.

We currently have over 40 cats in Annex Cat Rescue sponsored colonies that need to be TNR’d (trap, neutered and released).  As you can imagine, trapping and recovering these cats one at a time would take well over a year to do.  During that time more and more kittens will be born, putting pressure on the foster system and resulting in more cats to be trapped and vetted.

The only practical solution is to start a mass trapping program, where 5-10 cats are trapped at a time from the same area.  Unfortunately right now, Annex Cat Rescue does not have the manpower to do this.
We desperately need volunteers that can help us with this project. You don’t need to be a current trapper to get involved.  We need help in many areas and training/supplies will be provided.
Some of the volunteer opportunities include:
-trapping
-recovering cats after surgery
-driving to and from surgery appointments
-organization and planning
-promotion and fundraising
     The majority of the trapping sessions will take place on the weekend in the                          Annex and Little Italy areas.
We will be holding a meeting/information session on Saturday January 29th at 1pm at the The Humane Society.  The The Humane Society will be holding their shelter building workshop from 10am-2pm that day, so we could like to have ACR volunteers come out to help build some shelters for an hour and then meet for another hour to strategize our mass trapping project.
If you would like to become involved or have any questions please contact Heather at heatherb@annexcatrescue.org.  Please feel free to pass this along to friends and family as we could use as many hands as possible.

Matched, by Ally Condie- Review

Because Indigo/Chapters really badly wants me to go broke on buying books, right after Christmas they had their annual 30% off all hardcovers sale.  I mean honestly! don't they know how broke I am after Christmas? Yet how desperate I am to pick up some great, cheap, brand-spanking new hardcovers?? Cruel. Cruel and unusual punishment.

Well anywho, obviously I went, and went crazy.  I bought 5 new books (I had a gift card, that helped), I'd been eyeing up for ages.  This also meant I had to leave behind an easy 20 books or so for a later time, but alas how much can I read at once anyhow?!

Matched was one of the lucky five to end up on my bookcase at home.  With folks all over the net raving about what a spectacular dystopian novel it was, and kudos from authors I love like Carrie Ryan and Cassandra Clare it was an obvious top choice. 

Cassia lives in a world where everything is orderly, everything is pre-determined and nothing is a surprise.  It is pleasant and easy; she loves her family and is eager to find out who she has been Matched with so she can start the next stage in her life.  Yet with one small surprise, really the first of her life, she realises there is much more available to her in life, if only she had the choice to choose it.

Unlike other dystopian novels I've read, Matched takes place in very non-confrontational world.  This story isn't fast paced or action packed.  There are no Hunger Games-esq killings or obviously evil governments holding large societies under their thumbs through brute force.  And yet something distinctly unpleasant is afoot.  Cassia's slow discovery of the discrepancies and slightly more sinister aspects of her world are fascinating and were a total page turner for me.  But more than anything the mysteries of choice in this book were engrossing.  Has all choice really been eradicated from Cassia's world? Or can she actually choose something that hasn't been pre-determined by her statistics, not influenced by an official who knew what to suggest.  It was this almost philosophical dilemma that made Matched so enjoyable to me.

I cleared through this book in under 24 hours and am excited to see where it leads in book two Crossed, releasing in November of this year.  With very little ultimately revealed by the end of Matched, I am fascinated to see how this three-parter is going to unwind, is it going to stay predominately philosophical or get more action oriented and violent? But in the meantime I'm heading over to the official Matched site to get Matched myself! Hope he's impressive!

Matched, By Ally Condie
Published by Dutton Juvenile, November 2010

Dreadnought, By Cherie Priest- Review

If Boneshaker was a mix of many different genres then I'd have to say Dreadnought was predominently a steampunk western.  A sequel of sorts, Dreadnought is the second book in Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century world; and although it doesn't involve any of Boneshaker's charecters until the end, it's main charecter turns out to be Jeremiah Swakhammer's daughter.  She's a Red Cross nurse and estranged from Jeremiah, but after hearing he's on his way out, and asking for her, she decides to risk the highly unconventianal and dangerous journey. 

Once again Cherie Priest has created a masterpiece.  Filled with great action, intrigue and mystery Dreadnought focus's on another strong and fabulously no-nonsense female charecter who's marching into a barrel of trouble with her guns loaded.  Mercy, as she's been nicknamed, combines ferocity with practicality and the complete lack of a love interest (her husband has just died) is a breath of fresh air.  I only wish there was more in the story of her interactions with Briar and Lucy.

The sap and the Zombie element of the Clockwork Century world continues in this novel, and the way Cherie handled it was truly fun and brought about some of my favorite moments. Even more exciting was how she opens it up for later books, I can now barely wait to get my hands on the next release Ganymede (winter 2011 is all I can find about it!).  Few authors would throw in a subtext about zombies and keep it a subtext, but it works so well in her world, I can't picture it any other way.  It's almost as if you're reading the lead up to most apocolypse stories, the part normally glossed over in the epilogue.

Like Boneshaker, I loved the sweep of this book, I can't see how it wouldn't appeal to a wide audience.  If my grandpa, the great Louis L'Amour fan, was still alive today I would certainly have lent him my copy.  It would have been right up his alley, steampunk or not.

Dreadnought, By Cherie Priest
Published by Tor, September 2010

BEA/BBC Accommodations! Helping my fellow book bloggers save some pennies!

Without a doubt, THE most expensive cost of the BEA and BBC for me (and most everyone else) is going to be where I stay.  So although the hubby has expressed paranoia about serial killer book bloggers (novel right?) I've decide to go ahead and start a comment board for those bloggers looking to share accommodations during their stay.
I'll be monitoring it carefully for any weirdness, and have asked folks to not leave emails for privacy's sake, and instead post a link to their blog for contact info and for background checks.  Hopefully I can help folks save a bit of mullah for their book habits and we'll all meet some lovely new Blogger buddies; because I don't know about you but I'm super excited about meeting you folks in person at long last!

Boneshaker, By Cherie Priest- Review

Ever since Mrs De Raps Reads pointed me in the direction of The Forest of Hands and Teeth I’ve been a little bit zombie crazed.  And by a little bit, I should specify,  I’ve picked up three new zombie books this Christmas and it’s all I want to read.  Which is likely one of the reasons the hubby picked up Cherie Priests Boneshaker for me this yuletide season.

The world is a dangerous place when your dad or husband is the one responsible for it’s destruction, which is why Briar and Ezekiel can’t be said to live a particularly stellar life in the Outskirts.  Unfortunately it’s also why Ezekiel feels compelled to cross the wall into the city proper to find proof of his father’s innocence once and for all.  To bad for him the Zombies aren’t even close to the most dangerous things on the other side.

Although it’s not a guarantee, generally when a number of authors you like give glowing reviews for a book you can assume it’s a winner.  And this one had a stellar list of appreciators both down the back jacket and inside the first couple of pages.  Warren Ellis, Mike Magnolia, Scott Westerfeld, and Cassandra Clare, among others, all had great quotes across the back, raving about how this is Cherie’s best book yet, how they wanted more and what a rollicking steampunk adventure Boneshaker was. 

What can I say, she had me at Zombies!

I couldn’t agree more fully with all of the wonderful things said about Boneshaker to date.  It was fast paced, filled to the brim with outstanding characters and awesome dialogue, and completely fresh with the pairings of Steampunk, Zombies and hi-tech wild west- meets American history reworked. My absolute only complaint would have to be the fact there isn't ten times more of it.  Within a few hours of completing it I was on her site fishing down all her short stories and novels in the The Clockwork Century world.

The good news is there is more currently out (Dreadnought- novel, Tanglefoot-online novelette, Reluctance-short story in The Living Dead II anthology) and more on the way (Ganymede-Winter 2011, Tor, Inexplicable- Winter 2012, Tor) the bad news is that some of it is exceedingly hard to find at the moment with a new printing on the way but at an unspecified time (Clementine, Subterranean Press 2010-original printing limited).

The most glowing thing I can say about Boneshaker is it has something for everyone.  It’s a little bit Mystery, a little bit Wild West, a little bit Steampunk, a little bit Zombie Horror, a little bit YA and a little bit hard boiled Adult.  All those little bits add up to one great mix and in the end you’re left with a seriously enjoyable read.  So if you’re not sure you’re a Zombie/Steampunk girl or boy Boneshaker is an excellent intro into the genres.

A great read you’re likely to lend out to all and sundry, make sure to add Boneshaker to your collection next time you’re acquiring.

Boneshaker, By Cherie Priest
Published by Tor Books, September 2009

For more reviews please check out:
Rick Riordan's Blog, Myth and Mystery

The Kane Chronicles- Book 2 Cover and Title Announcement Plus a Sneak Peek at the First Chapter

On Thursday Rick Riordan released the cover art, title and first chapter of the Kane Chronicles, book 2.
Drum roll please......

The Throne of Fire, releasing May 3rd, 2011 will follow Sadie and Carter as they Continue to try and save the world, while fighting with and against Egyptian Gods.  The sneak peak of the first chapter, which was supposedly supposed to only be up for 24 hours is still viewable. 
It's fun, and it looks like The Throne of Fire is going to introduce a bunch of new characters which is always enjoyable.  Of course if you didn't enjoy the narration of the first book then be advised it's continuing in the same vein.

More exciting news on Myth and Mystery, is Rick's latest run down of his fave reads, which included Boneshaker!  How coincidental that we both read it around the same time period!  He loved it as well, which after you read my review tomorrow should send you running out to the store to join in on the fun.  For more of his picks check out his blog post. 
I love nothing better than when authors blog on the great books they've read and I now can't wait to pick up Blood of Ambrose by James Enge, and A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz.

I'm Back! Let the catch-up begin!

For the past week I've been home in Saskatchewan celebrating belated Christmas with my family.  Unfortunately my mom's elderly computer works with very few websites and is astoundingly slow.  More unfortunate still was my inability to hook her Internet into my lovely MacBook Air, or to hook into someone else's wireless. Sigh.
It's only once you loose it that you realise just how much you depend on the Internet! 

Anywho, after a god awful 5 hours of flying, a flat tire, 2 delays, lost luggage, and the rude guy who farted the smell of cabbage rolls for the longest segment of the trip, I arrived home in T.O. at a most ungodly hour Friday night.
The good news is I have a huge backlog of reviews to get to. Including: The Diary of Anne Frank, Boneshaker, Dreadnought, Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, Matched and more.

So thank you all for your patience this week with my no availability, no response, and no posts.  I promise to make it up to all of you!

Feline Fridays- One more reason to have Cats!

the cats love getting some fresh air and it's the warmest coat I've ever had!

Feline Fridays- the Feel good story

Just before Christmas, The Edmonton Post posted the following piece.  Needless to say there will be no shortage of folks wanting to adopt these two!

EDMONTON - She was a young, homeless single mom trying to raise a family of five, but true to the spirit of the season there was room for one more.

Esperanza had been badly injured when she was hit by a car, but the young shepherd-cross with the thick white coat was still managing to care for her newborn puppies - and a kitten - when she was found on a central Alberta reserve.

Criss Gerwing, who runs a small animal rescue group, discovered the dog earlier this month and couldn't believe it when the canine led her to her blended brood.

"I cried because she was in such bad condition with her leg, but she was obviously nursing her puppies and this kitten," Gerwing told a media outlet.

Gerwing took the entire family to the Edmonton Humane Society, where veterinarians thought they'd have to amputate the mother dog's bad leg.

But local vet, Dr. Milton Ness, volunteered to do a special surgery that saved Esperanza's hind quarter.

He calls her a "special soul." Shawna Randolph at the humane society couldn't agree more.

"She is such a sweet, sweet dog. She has such a wonderful personality," Randoph said.

"It's amazing when you think about it. You have this dog who is just so giving of herself, caring for these newborn puppies and the kitten, making sure they were cared for even though she was obviously in a lot of pain."

Jacob the cat was already four months old and shouldn't have been nursing at all, so humane society vets weaned him and he's now being cared for by a staff member.

But he's brought to the shelter every day to visit his adoptive mom and her babies. His canine step-siblings are too young to pay much attention to him - their eyes are barely open - but Esperanza is always excited to see Jacob and gives him lots of baths.

"He's actually acting more like a dog than a cat," Randolph said. "Kittens are very rambunctious and playful, but he just wants to hang out. As soon as he gets to the dog family he's ... cuddling. And even with his (human) foster mom, he follows her around like a dog does."

Esperanza's background is a mystery. No one has come forward to claim her, yet she's well socialized. She's only about one, but has had a definite taste of freedom - she loves to be outside and run around. It's not clear how long she may have been on her own or when Jacob came onto the scene and turned on his feline charm.

The devoted mother is recovering well. She and her pups will go into foster care after the holidays until permanent homes can be found for them. But the humane society ideally would like Esperanza and Jacob to be adopted together.

Randolph said their story is especially heart-warming at this time of year.

"It's all about family, isn't it, at Christmas time, and here you have the ultimate family."

And Esperanza's name bodes well for her and her furry family's future - it means "hope" in Spanish.

The Midnight Charter, By David Whitley

Apparently the Midnight Charter has been sitting on my shelf since last Christmas when the hubby gifted it to me.  That may be open to argument as I thought I'd read all the books he gave me for Christmas 2009 and was pretty sure this was part of my B-day book haul from him.  One way or another it was a greatly indignant hubby who suggested I really aught to read it next when I was trying to pick the other night. 

So I heaved a big sigh, and put down my two new zombie books I was super stoked about and wandered to bed with the Midnight Charter in hand.

Now I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm a sucker for a good cover.  If my copy had this cover, I think it would have moved to the top of my list long ago, but alas, my copy had this cover.  Much less enticing.
The upside was I was immediately sucked in and completely immersed in the story, so I wasn't disappointed by Zombies for long.

Mark and Lily, both children sold by parents or orphanage into servants positions for the famed Count Stelli, now have to wait for their title day (12th birthday's) to take control of their futures.  But in Agora, where everything in life is a transaction, it remains to be seen if they can improve on their circumstances.  Little do they know that their futures have been foretold in the Midnight Charter, and in fact they may have even less control over them than they thought.

The start of this book is a tad confusing as it delves right into this very different life with very few explanations.  But it was intriguing and had just enough mystery to keep me wanting more.  I liked the characters, though I was periodically put off by Lily's zealotry, and found her increasingly hard to sympathise with.  However, the questionable deeds of many of the sub-characters was particularly fun, keeping you guessing and giving you a bad vibe you just can't place.  I love me some smarmy sub-characters!

To be perfectly honest the ending completely threw me, but to be fair I was under the impression this was a one off book and not part one to a trilogy.  So I thought the end, was THE END and was totally mystified by it.  Because I was so confused by the end, I trailed on over to David Whitley's site a few day later where I learned the story was ongoing.  Now the only frustration I have is the fact part two The Children of the Lost, came out in the UK in October, and is coming out in the US in less than two weeks...but absolutely no sign of when it arrives on bookshelves in Canada.  Sort of like the final part of Fablehaven, which came out almost a year ago in the states but is still missing from Canadian bookstores.
Grrr.  Thank the Gods for The Book Depository!

The Midnight Charter, By David Whitley
Published by Doubleday Canada, September 2009