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
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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. 

Rating:

Friday's Forgotten Gems: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Sometimes I feel like I've missed out on some of the "older" YA books. By older I mean books that were published in the early 2000's. From today on out Friday's will feature older books that can be read by way of a library or a used books store. This reviews will be a bit shorter then normal, though. They will also not included a star rating. 

Title: Poison Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publisher: Mira Books
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
Source: Library
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Summary: Choose: A quick death…Or slow poison…

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear…
Review: Poison Study caught me by surprise. I'd heard of it before and I knew that it was supposed to be really good. So when I saw in at the library I jumped at the chance to read it. Little did I know that this book would blow me away with its creativity.

Other then the characters what I loved most about Poison Study was the world. Ixia is a strange place, but one that I loved. Snyder describes the transition of Ixia from a world full of magicians and kings to a harsh world with a Commander and generals beautifully. Sometimes I think fantasy worlds are overdone and boring but Ixia is a refreshing one, and I can't wait to go back.

Yelana is a character that I had to warm up. Though, after the first couple of chapters I was invested in her. She's a quick learner and one that isn't afraid to do what she believes is right. I loved seeing Yelana grow stronger both physically and as a character in Poison Study.

The romance in this one is delectably slow but the plot line is fast paced and engaging. I loved both of these aspects and they made this book all the better.

Poison Study is a new favorite of mine and I'm dying to get my hands on the second book!

Speed Date with Calla: Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Hi! This feature is hosted by Mary over at The Book Swarm. Speed Dating is basically giving a shorter review of the book and it's ton of fun! Go check it out!

Title: Bloodrose
Author: Andrea Cremer
Publisher: Philomel
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Source: Bought
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Summary: Calla has always welcomed war.

But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is. 

Review: Bloodrose, the final book in the Nightshade trilogy, manages to be both exciting and romantic. I'm going to be sad to see this series go but it certainly went out in style.

The only thing that I don't like about this series is Calla. This might be a big deal to some readers but I ignore it and wait for her to stop whining about her problems. At least the pack and the Searchers provide comic relief. They were by far the most amazing side characters I've seen in awhile.

But what I loved was the adventure. Calla and the gang go many places in this book in their quest to rid the world of evil. The fight scenes are swift, magnificent, and the emotions run even higher during the course of this book.

I believe I'm in the minority but I actually liked the end of Bloodrose. It fit perfectly and I can't imagine it any other way.  

Rating: 4.5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday (91)

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:

Rise by Andrea Cremer
January 8, 2013

Everything Conatus stands for is at risk. Hoping to gather enough resistance to save their order, Ember and Barrow attempt a desperate escape. But fate offers little mercy. When their mission is exposed, the  couple face relentless pursuit by the supernatural horrors that act on the commands of Eira’s ally: the mysterious Bosque Mar. A shocking revelation forces Ember out of hiding, sending her back into the heart of dark magic at Tearmunn keep, where she must convince her old friend Alistair of her love or face dire consequences. Ember’s deception offers the only chance for the resistance to succeed, but what she discovers in the shadows beneath the keep will shatter her world and bring about the Witches’ War.

Richly sensual and full of magic, action and danger, Andrea  Cremer's fifth book set in the Nightshade world is an edge-of-your-seat page turner.

I finished the first book in this series, Rift, not too long ago and already I'm in love with the characters. I love the historical setting of these and Cremer has the most gorgeous writing. Plus, the romance is very cute! 

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Source: Library
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Summary: Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky. 

Review: I put off reading Under the Never Sky for so long because there was just so much hype and negativity surrounding it. Eventually I decided that I should read it, mainly so I could get my own opinion on it. 

I loved the simple way that Under the Never Sky was wrote. Aria and Perry's alternating chapters in third person were marvelous. I'm a fan of first person but I felt more connected to Aria and Perry because of the nature of their separate chapters. I wasn't a huge fan of Aria at first but I immediately liked Perry. He's admirable in the way he cares for his nephew and the others around him. Aria does grow and change for the better though. I wasn't a huge fan of Perry and Aria's growing romance but I will admit that it grew on me. I liked that it was realistic and that the two characters were able to count on each other. 

Rossi does a great job with the world in Under the Never Sky. It's different from anything that I've ever read and I'm quite anxious for the next book just because it was so unique. 

The story is nicely paced with well done action scenes. This book definitely didn't get boring. There was always a new problem or conflict for the characters to face which kept me engaged during the story. 

In the end I ended up really liking Under the Never Sky. It had some flaws but it was an enjoyable read and I can't wait to read the next book! 

Rating: