Follow Friday

Friday Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we wil answer!  This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. 

This week’s question –

Q: What are you reading right now? How do you like it?.

Right now I'm reading Shadows by Ilsa J Bick.  I'm loving it completely, but it was very confusing to get back into.  I should have re-read Ashes.   I'm also reading Fablehaven and the Chronicles of Faerie - both kind of ho-hum.  I think that's all for now.

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Check out our post about Pushing the Limits for a chance to win a copy - it's really good

 

The Game of Triumphs by Laura Powell

Published: August 2011

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 288

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

At an exclusive Soho party one rainy night, Cat stumbles into an ancient and dangerous game of fortune. A mysterious quartet of game masters deal out challenges—moves that unfold in the Arcanum, a dream-scape version of our world. Success can earn players fame, fortune, inspiration. Failure can be deadly.

At first Cat is skeptical, but undeniably curious. And when a journey into the Arcanum reveals a shocking glimpse of her family's past, Cat begins to understand what drives people to play. Sometimes it's greed or longing—other times desperation. She must know more.

Right now, the game masters hold all the cards. But Cat finds others like herself on the fringes of the game. And together an unlikely group of chancers hope to change the rules in their favor.

In the Game of Triumphs, the risks are high, but the rewards may just be worth dying for. . .

Thanks to Special K for this review.

This will be a short review – there’s not much to say. Oh so much potential! A great premise - a real life RPG based on Tarot, and with great rules and stratagems. The embodiment of the tarot cards is fantastic, I think Laura Powell might be better suited to game writing than book writing.

Because Game of Triumphs utterly boring. There's no sense of build up, no urgency or massive events. (Everything just sort of happens). Maybe I need to read its sequel The Master of Misrule, and this was just outlining and getting you used to the game. But overall I was bored. Things happened quickly, but not in an exciting quickly. The characters were flat, with no development and no relationship between one another. You get a hint of one (Cat and one of the gentlemen...I won’t spoil who. Although it’s such a brief flicker, telling you wouldn’t count as a spoiler).

But so many possibilities! The game is well developed, and could prove to have rich world potentials. I might try the sequel, in the hopes that Game of Triumphs was just a really long prologue. But if the writing hasn't matched up to the possibilities a world and game setup like this have to offer, I'll call both books a pass. If however, Master of Misrule grabs me and shakes me – proves to me that it has some oomph! – I will give both books thumbs up. Without reading the second, I already feel like both books are tied together in a way that most series aren’t. I don’t usually hinge my view of one book on the result of another.

So – overall, underwhelming. But I did finish it. And I do think there’s promise. Fingers crossed for #2.

Thanks Special K. And don't forget to enter our GiVEAWAY for Pushing the Limits

Waiting on Wednesday - September 5

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

This week we have an awesome double header.  Coincidentally, they are book #3s from both series.  Flesh & Bone is the 3rd book from the Rot & Ruin series and Hidden is book #3 of the Firelight series.  Can't wait!

In Case you Missed It - Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles

Published: August 2009

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Pages: 230

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:
One pregnancy. Four friends. It all adds up to a profound time of change in this poignant, sensitively written YA novel.

Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they
begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a
while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life — and the realities of leaving innocence behind.

Review:
Jumping off Swings is a title that has been on my TBR list for quite some time.  Teenage pregnancy.  We all know someone who has gone through it or have heard of someone who has gone though it.  We all speculate and judge and make assumptions but do we really know what it was like and how the teen Mom and Dad are coping with it?  

I enjoyed this title and I think it was because of the simple yet sensitive way Jo Knowles wrote the story from 4 different viewpoints.  It touched me how this pregnancy was a huge deal but even the adults were trying to avoid the issue and no one communicated like they should except for a single mom who didn't want Ellie to go through things alone as she had.  


I was broken-hearted to see how Ellie's parents abandoned her in her time of need.  But people hurt one another.  Especially the ones they love.  Knowles took a very difficult subject and made it more identifiable for teens.  She also stripped away the judgments we admonish on those who break societal rules.  Josh knocked Ellie up.  But it wasn't like he didn't have feelings for his actions.  We read about his voice and how he deals with his actions and who he turns to.  I was expecting this read to be more raw but the word poignant as in the summary description by Goodreads is the perfect word

I would recommend this title to a reluctant reader who is going through some teenage angst.  It was a quick read with a lower reading level but would make a great ISU project.

Don't forget to enter our GIVEAWAY for Pushing the Limits

Stacking the Shelves

 

 

 

 

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received.

I've got an interesting mix this week, see what you think -

I've tried Ashfall before and couldn't get into it, but I've heard so many good things that I figure I'll give it another try, and I swore I wasn't going to continue with Torn, but what can I say?

Double Take - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Published: June 5th, 2012

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co

Pages: 358

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.

Special K - Ah-may-zing. After a run of books that while I didn’t hate them...I didn’t love them either. They were just kind of blah and it was starting to make reading feel like a chore. Along came Shadow and Bone which knocked my socks off and reminded me just why I continue to slog through books, even when sometimes it feels a little more tedious than it should. And that reason is to find gems like this. Curlypow - OMG you are so right about this.   I loved every minute of it.  It was just so easy to fall into this world

Veronica Roth is quoted as saying this book is “...like nothing she’s ever read”, and I fully agree. I love that it’s set in a world that I recognize slightly as hovering somewhere around Russia, but is so thoroughly changed that it could easily have been completely fabricated (and this is something I hope to learn more about in future books!). Bring them on please! I love the characters, who are charming and delicious in their endeavours, whether they attack them with caution, abandon or tenacity.  They all seemed to blossom in my mind and become like people I knew.  There was so much depth to them all.

Alina  is our protagonist, and she is strong and believable as our heroine (with one lapse that irks me a little involving the Darkling, but it’s small enough I can let it go). She is smart, but doubts herself in almost every way and is desperate to fit into almost anywhere that will accept her. Mal is even more perfect in his flawed way – the playboy that resists love. I think I appreciate him most because it reflects quite a few guys I know – ignoring that special girl that everyone can see is right for him in favour of other prettier, sparklier things. And the Darkling is magnificent as...well, just the Darkling. I won’t spoil what or who he is for future readers!  I don't know if it was just the name Mal or if the character really did remind me of him, but I kept picturing a younger Nathan Fillion - a la Firefly - when Mal was mentioned.  His attitude and outlook reminded me so much of the character on the show . And you are so right about the Darkling, he really was magnificent. This was a definite case of 'less is more' with this character.

The Grisha are power-wielders – part-science and part magic, their reign and grasp on the world is coming to an end – which again simply weaves a wonderful tale of intrigue and choosing sides. I liked that the author does not try to 'explain' the magic.  It is inside you, and you either have it - or you don't.  But she acknowledges that sometimes magic is not enough and the Grisha have to learn how to fight the old fashioned way - bumps and bruises included. I also love the aptness of the title without it being literate (re: pulled from a sentence in the book). I think I missed that bit! I love that the styling of this book makes me think of old world Prague.  Have I mentioned that I love this book? Yes you have already, but you are forgiven, because I agree with you :)

Those of you who are constantly on the prowl for the next big thing in YA – The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Selection – I would get your paws on Shadow and Bone ASAP, it’s the series I think everyone should keep an eye on. I also really recommend it to those who loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone – the feeling is the same, those hints of magic and fantasy are there and the characters are just as fabulous.  Maybe a little bit of The Gathering Storm in there as well, but only a little bit, with the flavouring of old Russia.  I can definitely see this on the big screen - can you just imagine what CGI would do with the Fold and the Volcra - major creepiness I'm sure. 

Many thanks to Special K for this review. Hope you don't mind I added in my 2 cents worth.I  wasn't going to bother reading Shadow and Bone, but after reading her review I just had to, and I'm so glad I did.  Do yourself a favour and find this one. You will not be disappointed. 

And don't forget to enter our GIVEAWAY for Pushing the Limits

Same Book, Second Look - The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

Published: April 2012

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 360

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice.

When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye...

Kimberly Derting has done it again.  The Last Echo re-introduces characters we have come to know and love and maintains the pulse pounding suspense that we have come to expect from the series.  Yes, The Last Echo is a little formulaic in that we know there is a murder and we have to solve who it is - but that's like every other mystery out there, and it's how we solve the mystery that makes it so much fun.

Violet is coming to terms with her ability to sense where bodies are, using the echos that are left.  A creepy ability that I for one am not sorry I do not have.  She has a loving family who are very aware of her and are concerned for her safety, which is a touch unusual these days, but never seems overdone or cloying.  Jay is there to give her all the extra love and support that she doesn't get from her family. He is such a wonderful guy, I just want to hug him.

And then there are Rafe, Gemma, Krystal and Sara, who understand her ability and help her cope with it.  The organization that they all belong to is still shrouded in mystery, but this time out things get a little creepier.  You'll understand what I mean when you finish the book.  There is some amazing tension between Vi and Gemma - which is explained nicely - and Vi and Rafe - which is not, but there are going to be more books where we will be able to explore that angle.  I can't wait.

Together, the team are after a particularly disturbing serial killer. Ms Derting really seems to be able to get into the minds of these killers and, courtesy of the alternate chapters written from the killers pov, we are able to get into their minds as well.  This adds a spectacular new dimension to the story and helps to maintain a high level of tension that might otherwise be missing.  All in all, The Last Echo is an absolute must read for paranormal mystery fans.

 It looks as though the next book in this series, Dead Silence, will be out in April of next year.  Yet another brilliant cover.

and this one, The Essence - # 2 in the Pledge series will be out in January 2013.
Great stuff. Have to admit, I'm loving the red in this cover as well.






Don't forget to check out our GIVEAWAY for Pushing the Limits