Red by Alyxandra Harvey

Published: March 10th, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Teen

ECopy: Entangled Teen

Summary: Goodreads

Bad girls burn hot…

Red is the color of Kia Alcott's hair.
It's her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble.
And it's the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them.

When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It's an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.

Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries.

But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn't stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…

Curlypow's thoughts:

I am a huge Alyxandra Harvey fan.  Her Drake Chronicles are among my favourite books with their snarky humour and great characters.  So this was an absolute must read for me when I saw it and I was not disappointed at all.

What I loved about 'Red' was it's contemporary setting with its old world fairy tale type ideas.  Lots of nasty creatures not normally found in our general day to day world are mixed in with a little paranormal firestarting and some modern knights and the whole thing just works.  I could actually imagine a group of people doing exactly what Ethan's father has done, it didn't seem all that far-fetched.  Extremely unlikely no doubt, but I could imagine it happening.

Ethan and Kia were a great pair, with some regular stereotypes being thrown to the wind as we get to know the characters.  There always seemed to be something going on underneath the surface which really kept my interest.  Kia's grandmother was also a great character, with some wonderful surprises of her own.

Lots of excitement and adventure and a fast paced story line laced with humor made 'Red' a very quick and enjoyable read for me.  I don't know if 'Red' is a standalone, and it works as one, but I'm really hoping that we'll see more of these characters.

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 will answer!  This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. 

This week’s question –

Do you have any furry friends? Share a picture!

I've shown this one before...This is Jake, my first baby...sometimes he forgets to put his tongue back into his mouth BEFORE he shuts it....

Here's another picture of him getting his hair blown out....don't they get bugs up their nose when they do this??

- Christinabean

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.

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Published: March 3rd, 2015

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Pages: 416

Copy: Edelweiss

Summary: Goodreads

The Others freed the  cassandra sangue  to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before—both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep… 

Curlypow's Thoughts :

This series very, very quickly made its way close to the top of my all time favourites list.  Written in Red set up this alternate Earth in the very best way.  Murder of Crows continued with the stellar world building and also kept up with the amazing characters.  Vision in Silver just pulled it all together and mixed it up and put a cherry on top.

Meg and Simon have to be one of the craziest couples ever, but in such a gentle, yet compelling way.  They are so obviously nuts about each other, yet are so unaware of it themselves that it is just a treat to read about.  I spent the whole book mentally pushing these two characters together and chuckling over their hesitations.  Meg is one of those characters who realizes that she is naive and tries hard to teach herself what she needs to know.  She is strong in so many ways and is always looking out for others.  Simon too, although in no way could you call him naive, other than in relationships.  He is the strong, silent type who is always on guard, and his feelings for Meg have taken him so much by surprise that he is almost completely lost.  Ms. Bishop has managed to convey a beautiful romance with no sex, no kissing, just companionship and I love it.

The setting is also complete, and real.  Things are just different enough that you know you're not in Kansas anymore, without being too obvious about it, and world mythology is astounding.  I love that there are elemental characters that are so strange even most of the other supernatural characters don't know about them.  I get shivers just thinking about some of them.  A lot of the dialogue takes place in the bookstore and coffee shop, but these are completely different from normal.  Werewolf and vampire romances written by werewolves and vampires anyone?

I could probably go on ad infinitum about these books, but lets just say that if you like good paranormal fiction, stands to reason you'll love this one.  All three books are rather violent, but if older teens can handle that, there is no reason why they shouldn't read these. Very highly recommended. (If we gave out stars here on the Princesses I'd be giving this one a solid 5+)

Waiting on Wednesday - The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

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

 

 

Summary (By Goodreads):

 

Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others
Sounds ominous...I suspect I will be reading a lot of books about queens this year.  There certainly seem to be a ton coming out in 2015! 



Ignite by Sara B. Larsen

Published: December 30th,  2014

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 289

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Murder, abductions, and forbidden romance abound in this thrilling sequel to Sara B. Larson's acclaimed YA debut, DEFY.

Alexa remains by the newly crowned King Damian’s side as his guard, ever committed to helping him rebuild Antion and reclaim the hope of Antion's people, despite continuing to harbor a secret love for him. However, when another threat to Damian and his kingdom emerges, and blame is cast on their newly forged allies from Blevon, Alexa knows things are not what they seem. With the fate of her nation hanging in the balance once again, will Alexa be able to protect her king and uncover the true enemy -- before it's too late?

Curlypow's thoughts:

'Ignite' is the follow-up novel to 'Defy' and I'm happy to say, did not disappoint, at least not very much.  On the whole I really enjoyed 'Ignite'.  The great characters were there, and were fleshed out nicely for the most part and the action was constant and engrossing.  Romance, yep it was still there, with some of the usual second book hiccups, but ended much as I was expecting.

So what did disappoint me?  Well Alexa is the King's guard and she's supposed to be this kick-ass fighter who is a better swordsman than anyone else and she's strong and capable - and she keeps bursting into tears!  It seems to me that since folks discovered in the first book that she's a girl and not the boy she was pretending to be, she has suddenly turned into this over-emotional wimp.  Every time I thought I was getting to like her again, she seemed to have another crying jag!  Now I suspect I may be exaggerating just a little here, but you get my drift.  It overshadowed the rest  of the story for me unfortunately.

And poor Riley is still getting the short end of the stick and he's such a nice guy and so faithful to her as well. However, despite this nagging point for me, the story in itself is quite a lot of fun and there is a fair bit of excitement and danger.  I'm curious to know if I'm the only one bothered by Alexa's tears?

Stacking the Shelves

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

This week I got: 

Summary: (by Goodreads)

promposal (n.)--an often public proposal, in which one person asks another to the prom, eliciting joy or mortification.

Camilla can't help hoping her secret crush, Benjamin, might randomly surprise her out of the blue with a promposal. However, when she's asked to prom by an irritating casual acquaintance--wearing a fancy tux and standing in front of a news crew--she's forced to say yes. Yet all hope's not lost. A timely school project gives Camilla a chance to get closer to Benjamin...and it seems like the chemistry between them is crackling. But is she reading into something that isn't there?

Joshua, Camilla's bestie, has been secretly in love with his gay best friend, Ethan, since middle school. Just as he decides to bite the bullet and ask Ethan if he'll go to prom with him, even if just as friends, he gets a shocking surprise: Ethan asks Joshua for help crafting the perfect promposal--for another guy. Now Joshua has to suppress his love and try to fake enthusiasm as he watches his dreams fall apart...unless he can make Ethan see that love has been right in front of his eyes the whole time.

The road to the perfect promposal isn't easy to navigate. But one thing's certain--prom season is going to be memorable. 

Its not often that I go for a contemporary novel but this one sounded like SO MUCH FUN!!  And I was looking for something a little more light-hearted than the fantasy/supernatural/horror/historical/dystopian novels I have been reading recently.  A big thanks to Simon & Schuster PulseIt for making Promposal available this week!

- Christinabean

The One by Kiera Cass

 

Published: May 2014

Pages: 323

Publisher: HarperTeen

Copy Provided by: Bought

Summary: Goodreads

 

Summary:

 

The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.  

 

Review:

 

Please do not read this review if you have not read Book #1 and 2. There will be spoilers...

 

The One is the final book in The Selection series.  It is time for Maxon to finally choose the woman he wants to be with but because of her inability to listen and follow the rules, America is hardly the King's choice. In fact, she is lucky to even remain a contender.  Plus, Maxon is torn by his growing feelings for America but his trust in a more reliable, pliable candidate, Kriss. 

 

Speaking of Kriss. I found it interesting to see how all of the girls, despite this being a competition, grew closer as comrades.  It makes me wonder if guys do the same thing on Bachelorette?  There were times when I really liked Kriss but I never found her to be as genuine a friend as Marlee.

 

There is a particular scene in Book #3 where America dos something so remarkably brave and stupid all at the same time. It causes shame on the King but gives the people a true glimpse of the type of ruler she has the potential to be.  Good move? What do you think?

 

I loved this series.  It reminded me so much of Katniss from The Hunger Games except America seemed a bit more impulsive and her decisions seemed less calculated.  She seemed to act first and then accept the consequences later.  I wished there could be more to this story as Book #4 but it ended just as it should have.  Leave the reader always wanting more but still happily satisfied with the final book.  :)  Well done Ms. Cass.  Well done.  (I only wish I would have read this series sooner....).