Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy, #1)

Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Henry Holt
358 pages
Released: July 5, 2012
Source: purchased
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Shadow and Bone was the July selection for my YA book club.  It's probably not something I would have picked up on my own, so I was a little concerned about whether or not I would like it, but I ended up loving it.  The book drew me in right away and if I'd had the time to read it all in one sitting, I probably would have.

Alina and her best friend Mal grew up as orphans and now as young adults they've become mapmakers.  During a dangerous exposition into "the Fold," they are attacked by Volcra and under the pressure, a secret talent that Alina has had all along is revealed.  Suddenly Alina is swept away from Mal to the royal court, where she is trained in her power and becomes the favorite of Darkling.  But everything is not as it seems...

There were a couple things about Shadow and Bone that I particularly enjoyed.  First, Bardugo is a gifted writer.  She writes beautiful prose and true-to-life dialogue.  The whole thing was gorgeously written, which only made me want to keep turning the pages.  The second thing was the setting, which felt very Russian.  I can't recall ever reading a book that has such a setting before, but I really enjoyed the different perspective.  The setting really added to the intense nature of the plot and made the whole book feel very alive and enjoyable.

A happy note for those who hate massive cliffhangers - this book doesn't end with one even though it is part of a trilogy.  I will happily continue on with the series knowing where it can go, but not left practically mid-sentence in the middle of action.  Amen.

Four stars!  Shadow and Bone is pretty popular these days and if you haven't picked up a copy yet, I highly recommend that you do - I think you'll really like it!  If you're a fan of Graceling I think you'll love Shadow and Bone.

I missed you! +GIVEAWAY

The Mendenhall Glacier - I was there and took this picture as proof!

Ah, we just got home last night from our two week vacation, which included a trip to Juneau, Alaska for a friend's wedding.  We have a lovely time, but after all that time in airplanes and cars, I'm really glad to be home.  I'm surprised how much I missed my blog.  I feel like things got a little dusty over here, but I did manage to do a little reading while I was away.  I finished A Long, Long Sleep and The Possession of Cassie Quinn, both of which I really liked.  Today I have to finish reading Shadow and Bone for my book club tomorrow night and I have to finish Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood because the library wants it back; it's probably the best piece of non-fiction I've read in years.

Anyway, two weeks ago while I was gone I posted a giveaway to celebrate my followers.  As promised, I'm giving away books to celebrate my 300th and 400th followers.  There will be two winners and anyone in the whole world can enter and the prize is any book you want from The Book Depository.*  Sounds awesome right?  Here's the OP in case you missed it and I'll repost the Rafflecopter entry form below, as well.  I'm a little puzzled by the lack on entires, so spread the word and enter yourself!




a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Giveaway for followers of my blog via GFC.  Must be 13+ and live somewhere where The Book Depository ships.  If you win, the book you choose must be under $15.

The Possession of Cassie Quinn

The Possession of Cassie Quinn
Kathryn Knutson
200 pages
Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
Source: eBook from author
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Cassie Quinn's mother has just remarried and so the inevitable move comes - two families joined together in a locally infamous old farmhouse surrounded by a very suspicious looking woods.  When Cassie and her new stepsister start experiencing strange happenings... seeing people in the woods, shadows in the house, they know something is up, but how serious is it?  Turns out... pretty serious.

I'll admit, I haven't been accepting many author review requests recently because I'm so backed up with other books I want to read and review, but something about the plot description of The Possession of Cassie Quinn really, really appealed to me, as did the creepy cover.  The cover looks like something out of a horror movie and the book fell right in line with that - as the strange happenings around Cassie's new home got more and more serious, I could easily picture this book being made into a terrifying horror movie.

The book drew me in and after the first fifty or so pages.  I really didn't want to put it down so I finished reading it on the plane home from Juneau today and immediately began thinking about how I was going to review it.  Like I said, the book is filled with creepy happenings that gave me goosebumps, but don't be afraid of it if horror isn't really your thing.  The plot also focuses on family dynamics and a little hint of a romance, so I think there's something in it for most YA fans.

A note about the ending: I LOVED IT.  I thought it ended perfectly and it really got me hooked to the point where I'm really looking forward to next June when I can read the sequel. 

Four stars!  The Possession of Cassie Quinn gave me goosebumps... it was absolutely enthralling!  Kathryn Knutson really knows how to write a book that makes you want to check under your bed before you get in it.  If you love creepy YA fiction, you need to put The Possession of Cassie Quinn on your TBR list immediately.  I highly recommend it and I'll be looking forard to the sequel next summer.

A Long, Long Sleep

A Long, Long Sleep
Anna Sheehan
342 pages
Publisher: Candlewick
Source: library
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Sixteen-year-old Rose has been asleep in her stasis tube, long forgotten until sixty-two years later when her tube is found by Bren, who awakens her and starts her on the difficult journey of discovering herself, why she was in the tube for so long, and what happened on her planet for all those years she slept - a lot has changed since the Dark Times have come and gone.

In case you couldn't already tell, A Long, Long Sleep is a Sleeping Beauty fairy tale retelling, but Anna Sheehan takes it one step farther.  Instead of simply retelling the story of Sleeping Beauty in a post-apocaltypic future, she also shows what happens to Sleeping Beauty, or in this case Rose, after she wakes up.  Sheehan explores the issue of what happens with the prince that wakes you up isn't exactly your prince.  I thought the whole retelling was very well done and was full of imagination.  It certainly kept me turning the pages whenever I had a chance!

The character of Rose is special and I really loved her.  She's so innocent and passive, but she doesn't come across as ignorant or stupid.  Far from it.  In fact, Rose has some real talent and not just in the arts for which she's won awards, but also when it comes to escaping the killer drone who is sent after her.  As the novel goes on, her innocence and passiveness fade away, allowing the real Rose to shine through, the Rose whose parents abused all those years ago.  Her personal journey throughout the novel kept me reading just as much, if not more, than the journey she must face when a killer drone repeatedly comes after her.  A Long, Long Sleep is filled with growth and action.  I daresay, it's got a little something for everyone.

Five stars!  I absolutely adored every aspect of this novel.  I highly recommend it to YA fans, particularly those who love fairy tale retellings, post-apocalypses, and romances.  Loved it!  I will be looking for more from this author in the future.

In My Mailbox (41)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FOR REVIEW: 

Bras, Boys, and Blunders by Vidya Samson

Total TBR: 183

Celebrating my followers with a GIVEAWAY!

As promised, here's my 300/400 follower giveaway!  In the past month I have amassed so many new followers... thank you all so much!  To celebrate I'm giving away a book of your choice from The Book Depository to two lucky winners.  Yes, two winners!  Enter via the Rafflecopter below.  Don't forget, it's a followers celebration, so you have to be a follower to win!
Open to all followers who live where The Book Depository Ships, ages 13+.
Thanks again!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

June Recap

Well, folks, by the time this posts I'll be one day into my two week vacation.  Hopefully I'm doing some great reading as we speak, but I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post reviews while I'm gone since I'm not taking a computer.  BUT you will want to stay tuned because one minute after this posts, my epic "celebrating my followers" giveaway will start.  Be sure to enter - you have all of July to do so.  And I'll see you back here sometime during the third week in July.

But, back to our regularly scheduled programming - the following is the list of everything I read in June.  I read nineteen books this month and they were:

Partials by Dan Wells

Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins

Betty and Friends by Betty White

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Once by Morris Gleitzman

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

This One Time with Julia by David Lampson

Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport

Plain Fear: Forbidden by Leanna Ellis

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Body & Soul by Stacey Kade

Total books read in 2012: 123

Total pages read in 2012: 36,163