A Hard Decision

Hi everyone!

I'm going to make this very short and maybe a bit bittersweet.

I've been in school for about a month. I thought I could blog, I really did. But I just don't have any free time what so ever. The last time I picked up a book and read it was probably about a month ago.

The classes I'm taking have a huge homework load and I'm finding hard to do anything but sleep, eat and do homework.

So, I'm making the decision to stop blogging. Maybe for good, maybe not. I have no idea where anything is going right now.

I would love to thank all the awesome bloggers who I've talked to over the years and just anyone who read or commented on this blog. You are the best. Thank you so much!

I'm going to miss this but I really think it'll be for the best!
Katie
P.S. If anyone has any questions or just want to talk you can email me at rockingmonk12@gmail.com

BYE!

Waiting on Wednesday (92)

Hi everyone! Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine to share books we can't wait to read!

This week's pick is:

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
February 23, 2013

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

First in a four book YA series set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate but in the same universe.

Doesn't this look fantastic!? I've never read anything by Carriger before, but I figure that once this comes out it'll be a perfect opportunity! I love steam punk and I love finishing schools so this looks like a wonderful book!

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

Title: Defiance
Author: C.J. Redwine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: August  28, 2012
Source: Bought
Add to your shelves 

Summary: Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.
As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making. 

Review: Oh. My. Those were my first two words when I first started reading Defiance and my last two words when I finished this book. Defiance is easily one of the best books I've in August, and I've read a ton of amazing books. 

Redwine really nails the characters in Defiance. I loved the alternating perspectives between Rachel and Logan. They're such different people but alike in many ways. I love how Rachel totally rebels from the society she lives in. She knows how to fight and I love a heroine that can defend herself. 
Logan's not half bad either. Wait. Who am I kidding? I absolutely loved Logan! He's a nerd at heart but he can fight just as well as Rachel. He and Rachel have such respect for each other, and I think that's what makes the romance in Defiance such a success. 

The villain in Defiance is the evil Commander. He's a guy that readers are going to love to hate. He's truly awful and to watch two characters that I loved go up against him was nerve wracking. 

Defiance also excels in suspense. I was never really sure where this story was going. Redwine throws in tons of twists and turns that make this a spectacular read. 

With an engaging plot line, a beautiful romance between two fantastic characters Defiance will surely win your heart. It certainly won mine. 

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