"The Burning Sky" by Sherry Thomas (J2)

It was Okay...

The Burning Sky

By Sherry Thomas

# Pgs: 480

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:



Magic, romance, and intrigue combine in The Burning Sky, the first book in the Elemental Trilogy, for fans of Cinda Williams Chima and Kristin Cashore.

It all began with a ruined elixir and a bolt of lightning.

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of the Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant sixteen-year-old girl with no training.

Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission—and her life.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas was an A-Okay book. It has a typical sort of story line, not too original, but the author writes the book in such a way that it's difficult not to read. The main character, Iolanthe, is a strong and determined individual who becomes more and more so as the story progresses. If I had a problem with the story, it would be that at times the two main characters seemed remarkably similar in how they acted. Moreover though, I enjoyed this book.

The author creates a world of magic and history, mingling the two together in a feathery way. Meaning that there was light splotches of history mentioned that did not completely overcome the actual fantasy of the story, which is something I could appreciate. I likewise delighted in the imagery the author created. In the minds eye I could see everything that she described to me, the brilliant balls of fire, the dark shadows in which they hide... Perhaps it's not descriptive enough at some parts, but moreover done with a professional touch.

If there was one thing that I definitely could appreciate, it was the way in which the author wrote the book. So often now-a-days the books I read are dumbed down. There is not enough use of intellegent vocabulary, not enough use of adjectives, in the days of today. When authors do not write in this way, then sometimes the books become too plain, it seems almost as if they are taking the easy way out.

Sherry Thomas' The Burning Sky is a better than average book, and nice to read. It has a different writing style than what you'd normally read. The characters have wit and cunning that is often fun and funny to read. It's adventurous, fantastical, a touch romantic... A little confusing at parts, but often those parts get explained a little later in the book. In the end, I'd give this book a three or four out of five, though I'm leaning more towards four. I'd reccommend this book to anyone who likes magic, and fire, and fantasy.

"Anna Dressed in Blood" by Kendare Blake (J1)

Just... No.

Anna Dressed in Blood

By Kendare Blake

# Pgs: 320

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:



Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

... This book was stupid. I didn't really see the point to it. I mean, to be fair, it was a lot better than I thought that it was going to be. And it was really interesting how the author pulled all of this information together about ghosts and ghost hunting stuff that I, personally, have never read about before like this.

It was a cool idea. You know, a fifty-something year old psychotically murderous dead girl with a tragic life/after life that falls in love with a single minded murderous ghost hunter. Great creativity with creating all of these ghosts...

However, a bunch of aspects about this book were left unexplained or had such a weak, unbelieveable foundation that I didn't get it. How is it that Anna, admittedly a powerful ghost, can touch Cas in the first place? Why doesn't she kill him if she can't help murdering everyone? Where in the world would Cas have learned to fight before if his dad didn't teach him and one day he just decided to take up his father's mantle?

Another problem I had with this book revolved around the fact that Anna and Cas were supposed to be in love, yet their relationship together was dull and uninteresting. It was likewise confusing. When Cas is thinking of her, there was nothing in his thoughts that even hinted that he liked her. No compliments, nothing about her that he liked. Just sympathy for the way that she died, constant thoughts about how to kill her with the athame, and constantly blaming her for all the random deaths. And does it bother anyone else that despite being stuck in death as a sixteen or so year old girl, she died about fifty years prior to this? Maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if there was actually some kind of chemistry between them or some kind of developed story to it...

Nearly everything about this story fell through. The love between Cas and Anna was nearly nonexistant except for some kissing (which, how is that possible?) near the end. The plot line sucked. Cas was obnoxiously singular minded to the point where, since the POV was always on him, everything seemed almost repetitive. It was annoying. Another problem that I had with this book stemmed from the fact that all of the other complications that popped up in the book, that made it all the more interesting, died off indirectly from the main character quite suddenly. One minute it was like there was one thing interesting going on that maybe would add some spice to the book, the next it's like "oh. they're dead." There was no foreshadowing to it or hints or something that would make it somewhat suspenseful. I didn't feel the danger. The cat, which was supposed to hate Cas, mysteriously stopped hating him a third of the way through the book.

The last problem that I had with this book was how obnoxiously BORING it was. There was no suspence, no horror. Just descriptive narrative about disembowled bodies with parts lying all over the place. The creepiest thing I found about the book didn't even come from a main character. It came from a dead dude (Mike) for two pages. It was so very flat. Though I'm curious as to what happens next, I'm not so curious that I'm going to immediately go out and buy the next book in the series.

Props to the author for writing the book and using very interesting facts. I'm always interested in the paranormal, ghost stories, urban legends, folklore, myths... And some things kind of seemed technical in the book which was great. Professional almost, like Cas knew a lot about the business (which makes complete sense when considering how long he'd been hunting before).  There was a light humor to it. Somewhat easy to follow. All in all, I'd give it a two out of five. Although it wasn't a mindblowing book to read, it most definitely was not a waste of my time. It was light while serious, and much more boring than fun, but it was slightly enjoyable. I just really wasn't in any kind of rush to keep reading it.

I suggest, though, that you keep in mind that this is my opinion. When comparing it to some other reviews, you'll find that some other people enjoyed it a lot, and that there were few that didn't. Moreover, it's up to you to decide.

One last thing to say... it's more ironic really... That Anna Dressed in Blood is about ghosts and killing things and that last night I was flipping through some channels and saw that American Horror Story had on a really, just drop dead seriously, creepy ghost story... Or at least there were a lot of grotesque dead people. I don't know. I was just flipping through channels. Blood and ghosts seem to be the theme this week...

"Cinder" by Marissa Meyer (I2)

Robo Cinderella? With Aliens?

Cinder

By Marissa Meyer 

The Lunar Chronicles, Book 1



# Pgs: 448

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:

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

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

There are a lot of books off there that have spanned off of fairy tales such as Cinderella. I admit I was a bit surprised to find that there actually exists a book like this which takes Cinderella to a whole new level. Meet Cinder-an adolescent teenage girl who also happens to be a cyborg.

Since everyone knows how the fairy tale goes, it was pretty simple to figure out where exactly Marissa Meyer was going to go with it. Still, it was completely awesome to read along the way. It's the journey, not the destination, sometimes that matters most. It's a light, somewhat fluffy comedic book, with a kick-butt, grease-monkey, clever Cinderella. One who most definitely does not need a man to make things right. I've read the first three books in the series-which comprise of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel so far. a.k.a. Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress.

It's a fun, not too serious, book with a different take on the whole "fairy tale" thing. And if you don't know by now, I love my fairy tales. It's adventurous, and with each turn and layer revealed within the book I kept wondering what would happen next.

There are no vampires, but it's a sci-fi, adventure filled, fun romance-ish book that doesn't delve into some of the darker themes that other books have out there. This is a great book to read if you're in the mood to break away from the norm. No idea when the fourth book is going to come out, but I think it's going to be Winter. Whatever the case, I'm über excited for it.

"Long Lankin" by Lindsey Barraclough (I1)

Finally

Long Lankin

By Lindsey Barraclough

# Pgs: 464

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:

In an exquisitely chilling debut novel, four children unravel the mystery of a family curse — and a ghostly creature known in folklore as Long Lankin.

When Cora and her younger sister, Mimi, are sent to stay with their elderly aunt in the isolated village of Byers Guerdon, they receive a less-than-warm welcome. Auntie Ida is eccentric and rigid, and the girls are desperate to go back to London. But what they don’t know is that their aunt’s life was devastated the last time two young sisters were at Guerdon Hall, and she is determined to protect her nieces from an evil that has lain hidden for years. Along with Roger and Peter, two village boys, Cora must uncover the horrifying truth that has held Bryers Guerdon in its dark grip for centuries — before it’s too late for little Mimi. Riveting and intensely atmospheric, this stunning debut will hold readers in its spell long after the last page is turned.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

I know I said that I was going to read it, but lately I haven't had the patience to read a book like Long Lankin. It's just a little slow paced and with my kind of mind I just need something that gets right into it right away. Regardless of my own problems with reading this book, I still promised a blog post. I think I've held this off long enough...

The only problem is that I haven't read it. Just a third of the way through it and the book is due. I can tell you that there's multiple points of view, and that the beginning, at least, is slow paced. It's easy to read and is set sometime in the 1980's, I think. If you're American, this book is British, which is kind of cool I think. Especially so since the author, Lindsey Barraclough, is British herself, and wrote the book so that the characters have accents. I know that every character has an accent, I just meant that since there is a difference from a person who lives in the city to someone who lives in the country, and from a person who lives in America to one who lives in, say, France... It's cool how Barraclough wrote those differences rather than having her characters talk in perfect English and saying that her characters sounded a little funny. It helps the imagination. 

Since I'm not quite sure you can trust my word about this book, as I haven't yet finished it, here's what Kirkus Reviews is saying:

"This atmospheric, pulse-pounding debut makes the most of its rural, post–World War II setting, a time and place where folklore uneasily informs reality. Barraclough controls her narrative with authority, shifting voices and tenses to provide both perspective and the occasional welcome respite from tension. The actual threat remains mostly unknown for almost the first half of the book, evident mostly in the long scratches by the door, the fetid stench of the church, the secretiveness of the villagers and, overwhelmingly, Auntie Ida's frank terror. If some of the historical exposition comes very conveniently, readers won't care--they will be too busy flipping the pages as Long Lankin closes in. A good, old-fashioned literary horror tale for sophisticated readers. (Historical fantasy. 10-14)"

It's up to you whether or not you want to read this book. As for me, I'm going to return the book to the library... then check it out again. Ok! So I'm a little frustrated by the fact that supposedly such a good story is evading me! At some point I know that I'll get through this phase... and when I do Long Lankin will be there waiting for me...

"The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater (H2)

Run, Run

The Scorpio Races

By Maggie Stiefvater



# Pgs: 416

_________________________________________________________________________________

Overview:

A spellbinding novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.

Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.

Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Review:

In honor of November, today's blog post is about The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. This is a truly thrilling book that centers on racing. Horse racing. On very wild, very bloodthirsty, very vicious water horses. Mostly I'm writing this blog post because "It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die." You know, the typical seasonal holiday event. Or not.

In any case, I loved this book. It beguiled me into its pages, forcing my undivided attention, to the point where I could not possibly ever tear myself away from it. The novel was dangerous, enchanting, and everything about it was a fight to survive to the very end. Reading the novel, we were all racing. Kate "Puck" Connolly, Sean Kendrick, the other riders, and the reader, racing to the finish line to see who would live and who would die.

This is a book with so very much potential. Can't wait to see what becomes of it.

And hey...

You know you want to read it.

Maggie Stiefvater- http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-scorpio-races/