Blonde Ops - Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman

When Bec gets booted from yet another boarding school for her not-so-surreptitious hacking, she expects her mom to send her packing for the next one. What she doesn't expect is to be shipped off to Rome to be an intern for a prominent fashion magazine. With the promise of homework to occupy any free time she ends up with, Bec flies to Italy to become the errand runner of Parker Phillips, co-editor of Edge magazine. Soon, she's fetching espressos, sorting outfits, and trying to get a glimpse of the dashing fashion blogger, Taj, not to mention striking up a relationship with the handsome Italian bike messenger, Dante. It's not all sunshine and roses though; tempers are shorter than the deadlines facing the magazine and there always seems to be one more thing to do.

Despite the work, Bec is enjoying her stay in beautiful Rome... until Parker is involved in a mysterious car accident and hospitalized with serious injuries. In Parker's absence, Edge is taken over by Candace Worthington, a pompous ex-supermodel who doesn't waste any time putting Bec on a (proverbial) leash to keep her out of trouble. For her part, Bec wants to find out who was behind the car crash that hospitalized Parker and why they took her out. With the First Lady heading to the Edge offices for a fashion shoot, Bec starts to suspect that Parker's "accident" is the least of their worries. As she investigates further, she uncovers a plot that is using Edge to get close to the First Lady for less-than-charitable purposes.

I'm a huge fan of spy girl novels and Rome (thank you, study abroad!), so I was almost certain I would love this book. Unfortunately, it fell a little short of the mark for me. There were a few loose ends that never got wrapped up, and the weird circumstances just kept piling up. What parent would send their kid to Italy alone to intern after being kicked out of school (again) for hacking? Where did Bec learn her "hacking" skills (some of which are dubious at best) and why does she have no problem going/making out with both Taj and Dante? Questions, questions, questions. Despite these somewhat bewildering points, it was still an okay read once I started just going along with things.

Pros:

•  Rome!
•  Rome + high fashion
•  Entertaining, if somewhat unbelievable

Cons:

•  Bec often comes across as a rebellious punk who doesn't like it when things don't go her way
•  Overly obvious ending
•  Unlikely events (e.g. lifting fingerprints with makeup and Scotch tape, being attached to Parker after knowing her for all of 5 minutes, etc.)

If you love fun spy novels with witty main characters, underground romances, and awesome Hogwarts-style castles, I would highly recommend the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. I'm planning on posting a full-length review for it at some point in the future. For now, suffice it to say that it's everything you would have expected from Blonde Ops, but fully delivered. Secret spy academy disguised as a preppy rich girls' school? Check. Boy troubles? Double check. Handsome covert operations teacher, absent-minded (but brilliant) mad scientist, and gorgeous "knows-how-to-kill-you-with-a-Kleenex-in-four-ways" headmaster? Triple check. Murder, mayhem, and mystery? Double triple check. In case you hadn't guessed, I'm a wee bit fond of the series. If you were disappointed by Blonde Ops, this might be a winner for you!

City of a Thousand Dolls - Miriam Forster

Nisha has lived in the City of a Thousand Dolls for almost as long as she can remember. Abandoned at the city gates with nothing but a mysterious tiger mark and no distinguishable caste mark, she is raised in a secretarial  role to the Matron of the city. As an errand runner, Nisha has limited access to all of the training Houses in the city: Pleasure, Beauty, Music, Jade, Combat, and Flowers. Although she's not technically part of any of them, she is given permission to train in Combat and Music so that she may be considered at the Redeeming, when all of the eligible girls are showcased to be bought for their various skills and inducted into a caste. Her past isn't the only secret either; Nisha is able to mind-speak with the local tribe of spotted cats, said to bring good luck to the city. They are that and more for Nisha, especially Jerrit, her closest confidant outside of Tanaya, a House of Flowers trainee who has been selected to be the wife of the Prince. She has also cultivated a relationship with Devan, the city's messenger, even though his higher caste could cause serious trouble if anyone ever found out. Although she lives in fear of discovery, she continues to sneak out to meet him, hoping that he will claim her at the Redeeming as his wife. However, all of her plans are pushed to the back of her mind when the body of one of the initiates is found on the city grounds.

The first girl's death could have been suicide, but soon after, another girl is found floating in the maze fountain, poisoned. Tension starts to build as people start to realize that there may be a murderer on the loose. Meanwhile, Nisha discovers that the Council has plans to sell her instead of letting her attend the Redeeming, thinking they will get a better price for her. Desperate to avoid becoming a slave, she offers to gather information and try to track down the murderer, realizing that her unique position in the City could help her discover things that would remain hidden to others. Soon, she is deeply embroiled in a plot that could have national consequences, not to mention potentially fatal ones for her and her closest friends. As she searches for clues, she uncovers secrets about herself and the City of a Thousand Dolls that have remained buried for years. But can she catch the murderer before she becomes a victim herself?

Let me start off by saying that this book seems to have really negative online reviews. There's not enough character development, the world-building is lacking, the plot is boring... and so on and so forth. While I agree with some of the points reviewers made, I actually really liked it. The culture is kind of a Chinese/Indian hybrid and I thought it was interesting, but I also enjoyed the plot itself. The combination of mystery and the new culture were enough to keep me reading straight through the book and the ending was surprising. The fact that I seem to like books that are generally un-liked by the online reading community is somewhat worrying as it seems to reflect badly on my reading tastes and maturity, but oh well - what can you do?

As I said, there are some things I didn't like. For starters, Nisha's relationship with Devan is super shallow; they basically seemed like make-out buddies with no real emotional attachment, and the ending reflects this. However, we do have to take into consideration that she lives in what is essentially an all-female city and has little outside interaction with men, so we can't exactly expect her to have this amazingly deep relationship with the first male she happens to come across. The other thing that really bugged me was the founding principle of the city itself. Historically speaking, it's not exactly far off the mark, but the idea of girls being trained for certain skills and then sold off to the highest bidder is very irksome to me, especially for skill sets like those learned in the House of Pleasure (and I'm sure you can guess what those are). In addition to that, there's no secret made of the fact that many of the girls are to be wed to men many times older than themselves, and it's even intimated that one of the girls commits suicide to avoid this. The Matron saw the City as a way to rescue unwanted girls from worse fates, but it still made me feel uncomfortable. Despite these two main flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and would probably recommend it. (Plus, the cover art is pretty nifty!)

Pros:

• Fantasy murder mystery (three words that should be in the same sentence more often)
• Fascinating cultural aspects
• Unexpected plot twists

Cons:

• Shallow, unrealistic relationships
• The premise of the city may be disturbing (or, at the very least, moderately irritating), albeit historically accurate
• Some of the notions and plot mechanisms seemed a little cheesy, e.g. talking cats that know more about your past than you do and guide you to your destiny (or what-have-you)

And, because I am all about that trailer life (and some people hate reading long digressions when they can get the gist in under a minute), here's one for the book:

The A.B.C. Murders - Agatha Christie

A brief but enthusiastic history lesson on Dame Agatha Christie:

1.  She's the best-selling novelist of all time (!!!)
2.  She became a mystery herself when she disappeared for 11 days at age 36
3. She's an absolutely brilliant mystery writer

Even if you haven't actually heard of her, you've probably heard of some of her works: arguably her most well-known novel, Murder on the Orient Express or And Then There Were None (my personal favorite, to date). If you love mystery, you just can't skip Christie. (Hehe, that rhymed. And I wasn't even trying.)

Hercule Poirot receives an unexpected visit from his old friend, Captain Hastings, who has returned for a visit after a spell in South America. While he is there, Poirot receives an ominous letter; some unknown evil is to take place in Andover on the 21st of the month, and it is expected that he will intervene. It is signed, simply, A.B.C. Scotland Yard assures Poirot that it's probably a prank, and he uneasily accepts this conclusion. The 21st rolls around and Poirot is notified that a woman by the name of Ascher has been murdered in Andover. The only clue left at the scene of the crime is an A.B.C. railway guide. Coincidence? Maybe. But then the second letter arrives, warning of a crime that will take place in Bexhill. When Betty Barnard is found murdered in Bexhill next to an A.B.C. guide, Poirot realizes that there is a serial killer with an alphabet complex on the loose. Betty Barnard is followed by Sir Clarke of Churston. Still, the letters come and Poirot is unable to discover the killer's identity. Will he ever be able to catch the murderer, or will he (or she) continue undaunted?

As previously stated, Agatha Christie is an absolute genius. Like with all good mystery novels, you're sure you have everything figured out by the end, but Christie upends the whole plot right when you think it's over. I've read this one before, but it's been so long that I still managed to be shocked by the ending. Although I do my best to try to equally balance pros and cons for the books I review here, I legitimately can't think of any cons for this one. It's a murder mystery without being obvious, it's got hints of humor to balance the somewhat macabre story line, it's intriguing... I could go on, but you probably get the idea.

Pros:

• Murder! Intrigue! "I can't believe that just happened" ending!
• Belgian detectives who love their moustaches 
•  Have I mentioned the "I can't believe that just happened" ending?

Cons:

• Nothing
• Zilch
• Nada

Since I spent a whole paragraph telling you about the merits of Agatha Christie, I thought this might be a good time to stick in a blurb for one of my other favorite things, and that is Doctor Who. It's a beautiful thing when your two favorite things come together, and I'm happy to say that there is, in fact, a Doctor Who episode featuring Agatha Christie. It's not for this novel, but still. Time-traveling alien meets famous 20th century writer and solves an intergalactic mystery that appears to be your regular murder mystery on the surface. Also, it doesn't hurt that the time-traveling alien is David Tennant. ;) Trailer below if you're interested!

Wildflower - Alecia Whitaker

Bird Barrett never thought she would be picked up by a professional music label and asked to contract for her own album. Then again, she never thought her family would sell their home and tour the country in an RV as a bluegrass band for the majority of her life, but that's exactly what happened after the death of her younger brother. When her dad comes down with a cold right before a gig, she's chosen to replace him as the lead singer. Unbeknownst to her, a scouting agent is part of the crowd and he's drawn to her emotional and relatable style of singing. He approaches her after the show and expresses interest in acquiring her for one of the most well-known labels in country music. Ecstatic about the potential impact on her career, Bird accepts an offer to perform at the famed Bluebird Cafe. There, however, she is approached by yet another talent agent, this time from an obscure, unheard of label, who promises to make her a star without the rigorous terms set out by the other label. Drawn to the comfortable feel of the company, she decides to go with the smaller label and soon begins work on her first album. This not only dissolves her family's touring band but also affects her relationship with her long time crush (and her brother's best friend), Adam. As Bird rises to fame, she struggles to cope with her sudden popularity and the negative impact it seems to be having on her relationship with Adam and her brothers.

First things first - I was predisposed to dislike this book for two reasons. Number 1: I just acquired 10 or 11 Agatha Christie books and have been desperately trying to find a home for them on my already heavily laden bookshelves, so if I hated this one, I could get rid of it and have that much more space. Number 2: After reading the clip on the back cover, I was almost positive it was going to be some sickeningly sappy love story. On one hand, it wasn't quite as bad as I expected; I finished the whole thing within a couple of hours. On the other hand, pretty much the only reason I pushed through it is because I'm a sucker for the glitz and glamor life, which is basically the back half of the book. If you've ever seen the Partridge Family (and I regret to say that I have), you might notice a strong resemblance in this story. In fact, it basically goes from the Partridge Family to Taylor Swift in about 2 chapters flat. In addition to that, the ending is so abrupt that you might find yourself headed to the nearest doctor's office for whiplash. After spending the entire novel cultivating her relationship with the object of her crush, the whole thing is resolved in 2 pages and 1 phone conversation. There aren't really any sub-plots to engage your attention, and it doesn't have any elements of other genres except the romance. Overall, while it's something that I may pick up at the library to read once, it's not something I'll be keeping on my shelf.

Pros:

• Quick read (couple of hours at most)
• Easy read (no Plato-style language or ideas here!)
• Interesting (and probably accurate) look behind-the-scenes of music videos

Cons:

• Typical, over-simplified plot
• Story resembles a cross between the Partridge Family and the rise of Taylor Swift
• Abrupt ending

Mermaid - Carolyn Turgeon

Who doesn't love mermaids? Glittery tails, gorgeous hair (despite the high salt content of the sea), a free workout every time you move... what more could you want? Except maybe clam bras. Those are also on the list. Unless you're a mermaid in this book, then no clam bra for you. Okay, moving on now.

Lenia, princess of the merpeople, has always dreamed about her 18th birthday, the only time that she'll be able to surface and see the human world. Once, mermaids interacted with the surface frequently, but when they started getting caught in the human's nets, the royal family decreed that mermaids would only be able to visit once on their 18th birthday. Lenia has always been intrigued by the humans, especially because of stories her grandmother told about their souls; while mermaids gradually dissolve into foam and fade from the world, humans have something that lives forever. When her 18th birthday comes, Lenia is excited to surface and learn more. Once she reaches the human world, however, she is horrified to witness a ship struggling against a terrible storm. She thought dying would be a beautiful thing, with the souls leaving their owners like a bright light, but instead, she watches men convulse and struggle to get air under the water. And then she sees him, standing on the prow of the ship as it goes down, and she knows she has to save him. She rescues him from drowning and swims for miles to find dry land for him, singing to him the whole way. When she reaches a beach, she realizes the she can do nothing else to help the unconscious sailor, so she gets the attention of a girl standing on a turret nearby. Certain that he will be cared for, Lenia returns to the sea, but her heart stays above with the handsome sailor she rescued. Once below, her love for the sailor consumes her and she enlists the help of a sea witch to once again venture to the surface. The price, however, is her tail, her tongue, and her voice. Additionally, if she fails to marry the man, she will turn to foam the day after he marries another. She decides to risk it all to return to the man she loves.

Margrethe, the daughter of the king of the North, is in disguise at a convent to avoid attack from the Southern warriors. While taking a breath of fresh air, she sees the impossible; a mermaid surfaces carrying an incredibly handsome man. She rushes down to assist and promises to care for the man, then watches as the mermaid swims away. While the convent cares for the wounded man, she keeps him company, eventually falling in love with him. Unbeknownst to her, he is the son of the king of the South, her father's sworn enemy. After he leaves, her father learns that his enemy's son had infiltrated his daughter's hiding place and he rushes her home, eager to begin war preparations against the South for their treachery. When Margrethe realizes that the love of her life is in danger, and that her father is rushing down the road of destruction, she decides to take matters into her own hands; she will go to the South and offer her hand in marriage to once again unite the kingdoms. Margrethe and Lenia converge in the South, each one desperate for the Prince's love, but neither getting what they had expected.

Let me start off by saying I wanted to love this book. I really really did (for obvious mermaid reasons). In general, I liked it; the plot was exciting and intense, and I loved the similarities to the original tale. But, that being said, there were just too many holes in the plot that pulled me out of the story. Exhibit 1: Lenia falls in love with the Prince on sight, which I may have been able to forgive if the exact same thing hadn't supposedly happened to Margrethe. Whether I was supposed to believe that she loved him because of his affiliation with Lenia or his dashing good looks or what-have-you, it just didn't click for me. Furthermore, she leaves the safety of her kingdom and stakes her life on her love for this virtual stranger, leaving her (admittedly irrational) father in the dust. And the same thing happens to Lenia! Exhibit 2: I don't want to give away part of the plot so I'll try to generalize; Lenia is told by the sea witch that the transformation from mermaid to human is permanent, but this comes into question at the end of the book, and she retains some mermaid-esque traits with regards to one particular plot twist. (No spoilers for you!) Overall, the main characters' actions just seemed so rash and immature that I had a hard time staying immersed in the book. If you can forgive the whole "love at first sight" trope, you'll probably enjoy it. If you can't, you might still enjoy it, just try to push it to the back of your mind.

Pros:

• Mermaids!
• Interesting twist on the classic
• Fast-paced and keeps your attention

Cons:

• Ill-informed decisions all around
• "Love" is eventually reduced to something closer to "intimate relations" *cough cough* 
• Somewhat annoying (but admittedly minor) story discrepancies

Now, because I absolutely hate ending things on a negative note, I present to you my all time favorite GIF (jif or ghif, no judgement here). Don't take a sip of anything before looking unless you want it coming out of your nose!

The Season - Sarah MacLean

I LOVE historical fiction, and one of my favorite time periods to read about is the Regency Era. There's something completely enchanting about the London Season, when girls of a marriageable age attended balls in beautiful gowns in hopes of finding a husband. Slightly less enchanting is the manner in which women were often paired with undesirable partners solely to move up on the social ladder, but a girl can still dream. Anyhow, this is one such enchanting novel.

Alex is making her debut for the Season this year, but one thing sets her apart from many of her hopeful counterparts; she has absolutely no desire to marry. In fact, she believes the whole thing is ridiculous. The headstrong Alex finds the expectation to be the perfect lady burdensome at best and is irritated (and intimidated) by her inability to discuss important things like politics. Additionally, growing up in the presence of four jocular males has had the unfortunate side effect of causing her to speak her mind without thinking of the consequences. The only people she feels comfortable with outside of her immediate family are her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, and Gavin, her brothers' closest friend and her confidant. But that was before the mysterious death of Gavin's father. Now, he has inherited the title of Earl of Blackmoor and the responsibilities that go with it. Whether it's the Season or Gavin's new title, something has affected their relationship, changing it from familial to something more intimate. As they struggle to cope with these new (and not entirely unwelcome) feelings, a shocking discovery comes to light regarding the so-called accidental death of Gavin's father. Soon, Alex, Gavin, Ella, and Vivi are mixed up in a life-threatening plot that could have devastating national consequences.

The fact that I chugged through this book without stopping should indicate the level to which I love and adore it, but in case that doesn't speak for itself, I'll explain. First off, I love Alex's character. She goes against the grain of society in an inadvertently determined way and she's not willing to settle for the norm. She's intelligent, witty, and amusing, but she doesn't always think things through, which, I have to admit, grated on my nerves a little bit. Second, have I mentioned the Season yet? Beautiful balls, stunning ballgowns, man-hunting... what's not to love?! Finally, Gavin is pretty much what every girl dreams of, except for the occasional annoying incident. Pretty much the only real problem I had with the book was how she rushed into the conspiracy, knowing that people's lives were being put at risk. Even with that, it's definitely a book I would want to add to my collection!

Pros:

• London Season!!
• Forbidden romance (I know, I know, so typical. But give it a chance!)
•  Mystery AND romance AND historical Easter eggs

Cons:

• You say "life-threatening danger", Alex says "I'm on it! Never mind the impact on my entire family, my two closest friends, and the love of my life!"
• Plot seemed a little rushed with regards to the relationship between Alex and Gavin
• Snobby debutantes who think they can get whatever they want just because they're beautiful

A Matter of Heart - Amy Fellner Dominy

Abby Lipman has it all: she's the best female swimmer in her school, is about to swim for the Olympic qualifier, and dates the best (not to mention, most attractive) male swimmer on the team. Abby's father was once in her shoes, but a freak accident ended his swimming career before it had even started. Consequently, she swims for both of them, fulfilling her ongoing dreams and the ones he never got to live out. When she passes out after a meet, her coach sends her to the doctor for permission to swim again, where she is devastated to learn that she has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), an enlargement of the heart that jeopardizes her future. She is immediately prescribed a heart-slowing drug which, despite potentially saving her life, destroys her ability to swim competitively. In addition to not being able to race, her boyfriend decides that there's not room in their relationship for HCM and breaks it off. With the qualifier swim coming up, Abby decides to continue her training against the advice of her doctors and peers, but she didn't count on being under the watchful eye of Alec, a team member who she previously looked down on. As the two grow closer, Alec urges Abby to stop risking her life for swimming. When she can no longer lie to herself about her chances of winning while on the medication, she makes an impossible decision: she's going to win that meet or die trying, and that means taking herself off of the meds behind her parents' backs. This life-changing decision has huge consequences for her, but will the qualifier swim be her last one, or will she come to her senses in time to save her own life?

I received this book from my monthly Bookcase Club Box, which, by the way, is a really awesome service available for book-lovers. When I first picked it up, I was certain it was going to be your typical sappy romance novel, but I guess that goes to show you that you really can't judge a book by its cover. I couldn't put it down! The constant suspense caused by her continuing her training with HCM keeps you turning pages to find out what's going to happen, and you can't help but sympathize with her as you watch not only her dreams but also her father's crash and burn. That being said, I found her character a little annoying because she was legitimately going to put her life in danger just to swim a race, not to mention lying to pretty much everyone about what was going on. I eventually decided that her actions were due to her age and the shock of the diagnosis, so it wasn't a huge obstacle while I was reading.

 In addition to being a good novel in general, it's also informative; Dominy talks about HCM briefly at the end of the book. HCM is a real disease that affects 2 in 500 people, especially athletes, killing most of them before they've even been diagnosed. The realistic nature of the condition makes the story even more poignant, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to a heart foundation.

Pros:

• A can't-put-it-down page turner!
• Realistic and relatable storyline
• Good character development

Cons:

• Main character can be a little unlikable when making rash decisions
• Parents' characters seem a little underdeveloped off the bat
• Typical teenage drama (some directly attributable to HCM diagnosis)

Beauty - Robin McKinley

What would you do to save your family? 

Beauty, Grace, and Hope live in the city with their father, Roderick, a wealthy man who lost his wife and newborn child to a trying pregnancy. Although she was named Honour at birth, an incident in her childhood left her with the nickname Beauty, a name she came to hate as she matured into the opposite. When one of her father's business ventures ends disastrously, the family is left with nothing and is forced to move from their fancy city house to the country to earn their keep. There, they make a living for themselves using the skills of their father and Hope's husband. Beauty's father returns to the city to tie up some loose ends with his former business, but returns home with a fortune and a terrible story. After being caught in a storm on the journey home, Roderick found himself in an enchanted castle in the heart of the forest where he was graciously cared for by magical attendants. As he was leaving, he came across a garden of stunning roses and picked one to bring home to Beauty, who had requested seeds he had been unable to find in the city. Enter the Beast. As punishment for "stealing" one of the prized roses, the Beast issues an ultimatum; Roderick must return in a month's time as the Beast's prisoner, or bring one of his daughters to fill his place. Beauty, true to her birth name, insists on taking her father's place, and so she arrives one month later at the gates of the castle. Expecting to be treated as a prisoner, she is pleasantly surprised to discover that, although he is certainly fearsome, the Beast seems to have no plans of having her for dinner (other than in the traditional sense). In fact, he goes to great lengths to ensure her comfort. Every night, however, he asks for her hand in marriage, and every night she declines. As time goes by, she finds herself becoming more and more comfortable around him and learns more about the enchantment that is on the castle. When Beauty becomes aware of a crisis at home, she begs the Beast to release her, vowing to return. He agrees, but will she return to break the enchantment, or will she remain with her family?

Obviously, I'm not going to spoil the ending for you because what kind of horrible person would that make me? So, on to the analysis. I LOVE Beauty and the Beast. If you do, you'll probably like it. If you don't, you probably won't like it. This retelling has elements of both the original tale and the Disney version, but it was written before the Disney version even came out! Talk about foreshadowing! Now, being somewhat of a young adult novel, Robin McKinley spared us some of the more gruesome elements of the original tale, but other than that, it's pretty true. As with all books, it does have flaws; pacing, for one thing. A huge chunk of the book takes place with her family, not the Beast, and the ending is so abrupt I thought I had gotten whiplash. Moving on.

Pros:

• Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (obviously)
• Ridiculously awesome attention to detail
• Provides a lot of interesting backstory to Beauty

Cons:

• Pacing, pacing, pacing!
• My second greatest pet peeve, there were TWO typos in the edition I have *hideous crying*
• A lot of stuff is never fully explained and you're left scratching your head at the end. Seriously, the ending left me so bamboozled the first time around that I finally just threw my hands in the air  and decided to blame it on magic.

Okay, since we're on the topic anyway, let's take a moment to talk about the upcoming Beauty and the Beast movie starring Emma Watson, who may or may not be my favorite person of all time. "Gasp! There's a live action Beauty and the Beast?!" Yes, yes there is (or will be). Please take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the absolutely amazingly stunningly awesome trailer below.

FREAK. OUT. MODE. I am so excited about this I can't even properly express it. That's probably why I'm rereading every Beauty and the Beast retelling I've ever come across - you know, just like you did for Harry Potter (no, don't try to deny it, it's okay). So, now you know about the new movie and a great retelling of the original tale! Yay for you!

The Last Necromancer - C.J. Archer

Do I love the feel of a book in my hands? Yes. More than my own children (technically accurate, as I don't have any). But I also love my Kindle. I've lost track of how many amazing books I've found while browsing through the B&N store. And, if you sort it by low-high price, you can pick up some awesome reads for free. The only kicker is that once they've gotten you hooked on the series with the free book, all the others actually cost something. This strategy works perfectly on suckers like me, I'm sad to say. In fact, this book is the perfect example. The first book was free, but I promptly finished that one... and the one after that... and the one after that. 3 days and 4 books later, I finally had to rein the horse in, but you get the idea.

Meet Charlie, a dirty street urchin who steals to survive in London's impoverished neighborhoods. But two things set Charlie apart from the rest of the street rabble: Charlie is a girl and the last necromancer. Forced to disguise herself as a boy to keep her safe, Charlie (a.k.a. Charlotte) was kicked out of her home when her conservative father inadvertently discovered her powers. When word starts getting around, Charlie finds herself being pursued by persons unknown. She soon falls into the clutches of one such group, a strange trio of men that answers to an organization known only to her as the Ministry. The leader of the group, Lincoln Fitzroy, is a serious, intimidating man who has been training to lead the Ministry for his whole life. His only goal is to protect the Queen from supernatural harm, and keeping Charlie out of evil hands is one way of doing so. She soon learns that they are up against a dangerous foe who is harvesting body parts from the dead and trying to reanimate them. But can Fitzroy convince Charlie to stay and help willingly, or will he have to hold her hostage? Charlie has no desire to become a tool of the Ministry, but she has nowhere else to turn. Aside from that, she is becoming more and more intrigued by the mysterious Mr. Fitzroy, despite his warnings to stay away. As Charlie's position becomes more and more precarious in the household, she must decide if she will join forces with the Ministry or return to her life in the streets.

First things first. A Frankenstein character looking for a necromancer in Victorian era London?? I'M IN HEAVEN! This is an actual dream come true. It's like science fiction meets fantasy meets mystery meets romance. Second of all, the author actually addresses things that are relevant to life as a female. Did you ever notice how lots of books and movies leave out some of the less pleasant aspects of life (e.g no need for bathrooms)? Not so for this series! For example, I bet you never thought about the work that goes into disguising yourself as a adolescent boy when you're actually a female in your upper teens, especially during *ahem* certain times of the month. It's so refreshing to finally have a series where this stuff doesn't get pushed under the rug. All in all, I highly recommend, not only the book, but the series in general. With all that being said, here's the standard "pros v. cons" list for your browsing convenience.

Pros:

• Science fiction meets fantasy meets mystery meets romance
• An edge-of-your-seat read
• Character development and plot progression are through-the-roof awesome

Cons:

• Some language
• After the first book, you pay >:(
• There's no movie (actually, this might be a good thing considering the history of book to movie conversions)

Star of the Morning - Lynn Kurland

Oh, this book. I don't choose favorites, but if I did, I'm pretty sure this would be it. It's got everything. EVERYTHING. Perilous quests, mysterious pasts, and a hefty helping of romance, all written with an underappreciated tinge of humor. And the main character is a sassy, sword-wielding shieldmaiden that relies only on her skills to get by. What more could you want?

Morgan of Melksham has no tolerance for magic. As someone who grew up with a sword in hand, finger waggling mutterers simply have no place in her life. Morgan was taken in by a kind-hearted old man who ran an orphanage after a group of mercenaries found her abandoned in an evil forest. As she grew, her swordplay improved; this was helped considerably by a stint on the other side of the island, home to a tower where only the most desperate go to train and only the most determined make it out with the mark of one who has completed training. Morgan was one of these determined individuals, and after leaving the tower, she became a blade for hire, settling petty disputes between neighboring lords and taking on sieges. This all changed when she received a mysterious summons from the man who had raised her and given her a home. Abandoning her current siege, she returns to the orphanage to find it's lord waiting for her with a dangerous quest: the king of Neroche has lost his magic, his borders are being invaded by foul creatures, and an enspelled dagger might be able to help him. Morgan is tasked with bearing the knife to Neroche.

Meanwhile in Neroche, King Adhemar is seeking a way to compensate for the unexplained loss of his powers; one minute he was fighting and his sword was responding to the magic in his blood, and the next thing you know, the magelight went out and he found himself powerless. His younger brother and the archmage of the realm, Miach, suggests finding a wielder for the magic sword that has hung in the castle for centuries. With the help of the wielder, they would be able to beat back the creatures that were overrunning the borders. Adhemar leaves Neroche and travels incognito in search of this wielder. Along the way, he runs into Morgan, who promptly knocks him out and steals his best pair of socks in payment for following her. The two are met by a few of Morgan's mercenary friends, and they end up traveling together. Back in Neroche, Miach hasn't received any messages from Adhemar, so he decides to check in himself and see what's happening. Searching for them proves harder than he expected, but he sees the magelight of the sword and is able to follow it. Upon arrival, he discovers that it was not Adhemar who called the magic, but Morgan, a seemingly insignificant wench from a backwater island. Morgan, who is very seasick from the trip across the ocean, refuses to acknowledge that she summoned the magic.

Miach decides to stay for a while, not only to assist in the search, but also so he can be close to Morgan, who he finds himself drawn to despite her rough nature. As the group draws closer to Neroche, so do Miach and Morgan. Disguising his true identity under the pretense of being a farmer, he helps Morgan as she struggles with the realization that she has magic in her blood. Along the way, he realizes that there is more to Morgan than there seems, and he eventually realizes that she is the one that Neroche needs to wield the sword. He hides this information from Adhemar and Morgan, afraid that the woman he has come to love will become nothing more than a pet to the crown. Miach has to decide which is more important: his duty or his heart. However, once they reach Neroche, everything will come out, one way or another. In the interest of not spoiling the ending, I'll leave it at that.

Pros:

• Star of the Morning has virtually every characteristic you could want in a book
• Never a dull moment
• Strong female lead

Cons:

• The rather abrupt ending always leaves me feeling like I'm missing something
• Somewhere along the way, it seems like the focus goes away from the quest to Neroche and becomes a series of smaller plots
• This storyline degrades a little as the series goes on

Stone Rider - David Hofmeyr

Welcome to Blackwater, one of the many poor towns struggling to get by. The air is slowly killing everyone, and the only way out is Sky-Base, a luxurious fortress in the sky where the only thing you have to worry about is what you should order for your next meal. It's not easy to get there, though. The answer lies in the bykes, futuristic mounts that are passed down through generations of families while collecting imprints of each rider's consciousness. Winning byke races gets you base points, and once you get enough, you are granted access to Sky-Base. Racing comes at a cost, though; most of them are dangerous and have high fatality rates, but the racers will do anything to get off the ground. Most of them form tribes to increase their chances of survival, all of them with different traits meant to identify them.

Adam lives with his brother in Blackwater, helping to support the household since the race that took his brother's leg. He saves up his money in the hopes of entering the Blackwater Trail, the toughest race out of them all. He has a major crush on the local byke mechanic, Sadie, but he's too scared to do anything about it. Everything changes when a mysterious rider, Kane, shows up in town. Impressed with each other's skills, the two boys hit it off, but they attract the attention of a local tribe. When tragedy results, Adam has no choice but to enter the Blackwater Trail. Despite his plans to race alone, he ends up joining forces with Kane and, eventually, Sadie. Together, they struggle against the forces of nature and the conniving minds at Sky-Base. Along the way, they learn more about themselves and each other, but there can only be one winner.

First off, let me say that this did not seem like my type of book. Based on the blurb on the back cover, it seemed like the author was trying to take an old concept (bikes) and turn it into some futuristic concept (bykes that interface with the user so they work together and ride better). This did not seem particularly appealing to me, but since it came in my book subscription box, I felt I at least had to try it out. Starting off, it was pretty slow. I can usually orient myself pretty well as to where a story is taking place, but the only thing I pulled from the opening chapters was that poor people lived on the ground in a western-style community (with bykes instead of horses and slingshots instead of guns) and rich people lived at something called Sky-Base. Making the assumption that Adam would be taking part in the big race, I kept reading in the hopes that it would all clear up then. Boy, did it ever! And I didn't even have to wait until the actual race started. A few chapters before race day, things really start heating up. The rest of the book kept my attention really well. There was a lot more action and I knew where things stood a little better. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I was yet again reminded me of the Hunger Games. The authority figures in Blackwater and on Sky-Base all bet on the riders and see the races as a huge game. They even rig the trail for optimum action, much like the Gamemakers.

 Overall, it was an okay read. It's not one that I'll beg friends to read, but it was pretty interesting once I figured out what was going on. Happy reading!

Pros:

• A "can't-put-it-down" read once you get to the race
• Good character development
• Has a lot of different dynamic elements to capture your attention

Cons: 

• Fair bit of language
• One fairly graphic scene between Sadie and Adam
• Really slow start

The Walled City - Ryan Graudin

Run fast. Trust no one. Always carry your knife. These are the three rules you follow if you want to survive in Hak Nam, the Walled City where everything goes. Prostitutes, drug lords, murderers, thieves, and society's worst all make their homes in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods, away from the watchful eyes of the main city's law enforcement. But it's not just criminals who live in Hak Nam.

Based on a real place, the Walled City follows three young people who struggle to survive within the city's boundaries. Mei Yee was sold by her father and taken from her home to a brothel owned by the most notorious drug lord in the city, Longwai. There, she catches the eye of a wealthy client from the main city. He offers her the chance to get away from the brothel, but recent events give her mixed feelings about leaving. Jin Ling lives in Hak Nam as she desperately searches for her sister in every brothel she comes across. Forced to disguise herself as a boy to avoid scrutiny, Jin picks up the skills necessary to survive in Hak Nam and the enemies to use them on. Her inability to check Longwai's brothel on her own leads her to break one of the rules and work with a boy that says he can help. Dai is in Hak Nam after being accused of a triple murder in the main city. To avoid arrest, he flees to the Walled City for sanctuary while his family tries to clear his name. While there, he runs errands as a drug boy to collect information that could get him pardoned in the main city, but he is running out of time to complete his mission. When he tries to infiltrate Longwai's brothel, he takes on Jin as a partner to increase his chances of success. As the clock winds down for the Walled City, the three main characters are drawn together in a desperate struggle for survival.

This book had a lot of parallels to the Hunger Games, but it's very intense; there's no funny Capitol people to break up the violence of the arena and no reprieve from the madness in the city. Mei Yee's forced prostitution, and that of all of the girls she lives with in the brothel, is disturbing at best. Despite its intensity, I could hardly put the Walled City down, especially knowing that it's based on a real place. I stayed up long into the night reading to the end because I just had to know what happened. If you're looking for a read that's in your comfort zone, this probably isn't for you. If, however, you're interested in reading about the gritty struggle to escape a horrible life and the choices that came with it, you might try this novel.

Pros:

• Intense, non-stop action keeps you interested
• Historical storyline based on the Kowloon Walled City
• Well-developed characters

Cons:

• Language
• Intense, non-stop action might be a little much for some readers
• Mei Yee's situation (including sexual abuse) is definitely intense for young readers

If you prefer watching the book trailer, here it is.

Eragon - Christopher Paolini

Most people recognize Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings as popular fantasy series, but I think it's safe to say that many of those same people have no idea what Eragon is. In fact, the few times I've mentioned Eragon in a conversation, the reply has been "isn't that the ranger from Lord of the Rings?" This is usually followed by an outraged explanation of the difference between the two and a soliloquy on why Eragon should be teleported to the top of the individual's reading stack. Giving said soliloquies gets tiring after a while, which is why I'm making my very first post about this underestimated series. If you really don't want to read the full summary and analysis, skip all the way to the bottom for the handy dandy bullet list of pros and cons.

First, some background. The story is set in the mythical land of Alagaësia, a place where Dragon Riders once ruled. One of them, Galbatorix, gained power and betrayed them all, killing those who were in opposition and eventually becoming the King. This betrayal came about after the death of his dragon, which pushed him to the brink of insanity because of the severance of the bond between dragon and rider. When the story starts, Galbatorix is ruling the land with an iron fist and trying to get his grubby mitts on the few remaining dragon eggs so he can control the riders they hatch for and cause even more mayhem. A group of rebels, the Varden, does its best to overthrow his tyranny, but isn't very effective because of the lack of resources.

Okay, enough background and on to the storyline. Eragon, the main character of the series, is a farm boy who lives with his uncle and cousin in a small town in the middle of nowhere. During a hunting trip, he comes into contact with a mysterious stone. Hoping to make a buck or two, he takes it home but is shocked to discover that it's actually one of the only remaining dragon eggs. The egg brings all sorts of unwanted attention to the little town, and the end result is that Eragon leaves his home with the now-hatched dragon in search of the Varden. He travels with Brom, a gruff storyteller who works on training Eragon to be the next Dragon Rider. Galbatorix, of course, is not horribly keen on having an independent Rider, so he sends out various assailants to try to stop their progress. Permanently, if you know what I mean. Their travels take them across the length and breadth of Alagaësia as they race to reach the Varden. In the interest of not completely ruining the story for you, I'm not going to give any specifics past this point. Suffice it to say that there's lots of magic, fighting, and tragedy, exactly what you'd expect from a good fantasy novel. Hopefully, this is enough to convince you to give her a go.

In terms of how it reads, it falls right between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. It's not as tedious to read as Lord of the Rings and it's not as easy as Harry Potter. If you aren't following what's going on, it's not hard to get lost in all of the name-dropping. Because of that, I'd say the age range starts in the teens and goes up indefinitely. 

I would be remiss in my duties as an honest blogger if I ignored the movie, as much as I would like to. I'm sure you've heard the expression "the book was better", and if you hadn't before, you have now. I'm sad to say that Eragon is the ultimate setup for "the book was better" complaints. It's not that they changed most of the major characters from their bookish selves (at least the ones they didn't completely eliminate), or that they totally changed the plot, or the absolutely horrifying simplification of an amazingly complex journey. I'm just joking, it actually is all those things. I can think of exactly one scene in the entire movie that went according to the book, and it was only about 30 seconds long. I was more disappointed than when I found out that Peeves wasn't in the Harry Potter movies and Tom Bombadil got cut from LOTR. I've found that the easiest way to deal with it is to pretend it's a standalone movie with no connection to the book. If you are interested in the movie, here's the trailer.



And, as promised, here's the summary of my summary.

Pros:

• HERE THERE BE DRAGONS!
• Intriguing and well-executed storyline
• Character development

Cons:

•  With so much name-dropping, it's not too hard to get confused by plot progression
• Does the movie count? No, seriously. 
• Did I mention the movie? 

This is one of my favorite series, and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Happy reading!