The Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab

From the moment I opened "A Darker Shade of Magic," the first book in V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series, I was hooked.

I want to be Delilah Bard, the most bad-ass female lead I've ever encountered.  She's a Thief and an aspiring Pirate, and who wouldn't want to make all of their own rules? Is she slightly damaged? Yes, but isn't that what we love about our heroes - they aren't perfect.

Then there is Kell, one of two living Antari who can travel between Grey, Red, and White Londons, and when he and Lila cross paths, everything changes.  Oh, and there is a fourth London, you don't really want to go to Black London... no one is supposed to go to Black London... but life sometimes takes us places we don't really want to go.

I could go on and on about Kell, and Lila, or tell you about Alucard, the beautiful Captain and his crew on the Night Spire. Or Prince Rhy, and the only other Antari from White London, Holland. But you need to go buy these books today and delve into their world yourself.  I don't think you will be disappointed.

The Books are "A Darker Shade of Magic," "A Gathering of Shadows," and "A Conjuring of Light." I loved these books and characters so much, I stopped reading the last book because I didn't want to let them go.

I remember rereading JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia at least once a year, and I can see myself doing the same with Ms. Schwab's series, because when I finally finished the last book, I was satisfied, but I still wanted more.

Until then, Anoshe.

I give this entire series 6 out of 5 stars!  😉

Note: I've been really bad about posting and although I have been reading - I couldn't bring myself to write any reviews.

One of the things I have also put off is creating an art piece using my front porch steps, so I am glad that life got in the way and I haven't done it yet, because this series will now be part of that project. I plan on painting each step so it will look like the spine of a book, starting with the first book that took me outside of myself and made me love reading; "Charlotte's Web," The other books will be "The Last Unicorn," "The Return of the King," "A Discovery of Witches" (or "The Book of Life" - haven't decided yet), and "A Conjuring of Light."

"Paper Towns" by John Green

Paper Towns has been in my TBR pile(s) for a while now, so I chose it this week after finishing book 5 in A Song of Ice and Fire.  After reading A Dance with Dragons, I needed something more grounded in reality and, as usual with John Green's books, I am so glad I did.

Quentin Jacobsen's quest to find Margo Roth Spiegelman took me back to those days in high school where I was surrounded by people and had wonderful friends, but always felt like I was on the outside looking in.  I don't mean that in a bad way, I think everyone feels a sense of disconnect from the people around them, especially in our teen years. 

I loved the pace of this book and at times I was on the edge of my seat wondering where Margo's hints would lead Q and what he would find.  I found myself laughing out loud at times (once while waiting for my car to be serviced), and feeling the same sense of fear the characters felt in the 'not knowing' what was to come.  I also enjoyed seeing the strong relationships that Q had with his parents and friends, Ben and Radar. 

I wish Mr. Green was writing books when I was at teenager.  Paper Towns kept me guessing and hoping until the end, and it didn't disappoint.  I totally recommend this book for people of all ages and give it a five out of five stars.

All Souls Trilogy By Deborah Harkness

I LOVE THIS SERIES!

I had read about "A Discovery of Witches" before it was published and it sounded really interesting, so I pre-ordered it.  When I read it, I was hooked and couldn't wait for the rest of the series.

My cousin picked up "Shadow of Night" in California while at a book signing (love her for that!), and I ordered "The Book of Life" as soon as it was available for Pre-Order.  Yes, it has taken me much longer to finish the series than I would have liked, but life interrupted - I could not focus on the books - and they need all of your attention.

Deborah Harkness has created an amazing world that incorporates the present with the past, historical figures and facts with the paranormal (two of my favorite genres are historical fiction and paranormal).  Maybe Ms. Harkness being a Professor of History adds credibility, but I almost believe the story she weaved to be true - wanted it to be true.

I don't give away much with any of my book reviews, so let me just say that I love how the characters are introduced to us, how they meet, and how they slowly get to know each other as we, the readers, get to know them.  The All Souls Trilogy isn't for the light of heart who are hoping for a quick read.  They are for the thinking person, someone who wants to get lost in a world that you think you know, but has hidden secrets from you all along.  A world that takes you back in time and brings you home with answers that the two main characters, along with the rest, need to know to survive. 

I could name every character and tell you wonderful things about them, but you need to read the books and find out about them for yourself.  I don't think you will be disappointed.  I give all three of the books in the All Souls Trilogy five out of Five stars!

My only complaint is - I want more Gallowglass - I NEED more Gallowglass! 

The Incarnate Trilogy by Jodi Meadows

The Incarnate Trilogy has been a part of my to be read pile ever since I got a copy of "Asunder," the second book in the series, at the Frederick County Book Fair a few years ago.  This past September I was lucky enough to have dinner with a group of women before a book signing at the Bethesda Library, and Ms. Meadows was a part of that group.  She was such a lovely and interesting person, I decided to put her books at the top of the TBR pile... and boy am I glad I did.

The books are Incarnate, Asunder, and Infinite and I would reccomend them to anyone who enjoys getting lost in a book.

Ana has spent her entire life living at Purple Rose Cottage on the outskirts of Range with her mother and has had little contact with other people.  She is self taught since her mother refused to teach her or give her any guidance at all, except demanding she do her daily chores.  One day Ana takes off on her own to the city of Heart in hopes of finding out why she was born, the first new-soul to the million old-souls continuously reborn over the past 5,000 years.

On her journey, she finds unexpected friendship, loyalty, and love.  Ana also learns the dark secrets of Heart and the supposed creator of the old-souls, Janan, who will one day return.

This story is refreshingly new, with characters who will steal your heart and some that will chill you to the bone... oh, and there are dragons, sylph, trolls and phoenixes... a fabulous, new world you won't want to miss.  I loved all three books equally and I give this entire series five out of five stars!

I can't wait to read The Orphan Queen - which we can pre-order now!

"Dorothy Must Die" by Danielle Paige

"Dorothy Must Die" by Danielle Paige is absolutely twisted, and I love it.

Amy Gumm (or as the High School bullies refer to her "Amy Salvation Army trailer trash") lives in Kansas with her mother...in a trailer.  To say her life isn't the happiest is an understatement.  The day she gets in a fight at school and is sent home, there is a tornado warning.  To add insult to injury, her mother is going to a "tornado party" and leaves Amy at home alone with her pet rat Star (a pet Amy is not too fond of).

Needless to say, the tornado hits and Amy, Star and the trailer are all twirled away to Oz.  It doesn't take long for Amy to realize that the Oz of the book and movie no longer exists.  Flying Monkeys and Munchkins are enslaved, tortured and killed.  Amy herself is branded a traitor against Dorothy, but is pulled into The Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and trained to fight and on how to use magic.

Those who were once good in Oz are now evil and those who were once wicked are now trying to save Oz... Or are they?  Amy learns quickly that she can't trust anyone, all she is sure of is that Dorothy Must Die!

I love that Dorothy Gale, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and even Toto are unrecognizable and that all of the characters I loved or was afraid of from the original story are still in Oz.

I truly enjoyed this book with all of it's twisted twists and turns and I cannot wait for the story to continue!

I give it five of five stars.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga - It's Creepy Good!

First let me say, I know it has been a long time but I have been busy reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, and you can't rush them!  I took a break reading the fifth book because I don't want to finish it too soon especially since the sixth book isn't coming out until 2013.

Recently I received a pleasant surprise when 14 books showed up in a box on my doorstep.  The first one that I was drawn to was I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga.

Jasper (Jazz) Dent lives with his nearly insane grandmother in Lobo Nob.  He has a best friend Howie, who is a Type A Hemophiliac, and a girlfriend, Connie.  They are the only two people in Jazz's life that he truly cares about and trusts.  Jazz has adults looking out for him, like G. William, the local sheriff, but there are also a few who want to exploit him, like Doug Weathers a sleazy reporter looking for fame at Jazz's expense.  Then there's his father, Billy Dent, the "world's most infamous serial killer," who use to take young Jazz with him for on the job training.

Life seems to be going along smoothly for Jazz ... or the appearance of normalcy is working for him ... when a body is found in Lobo Nod. 

I am not one to give anything away, so I will stop there.  What I will say is I love how Mr. Lyga lets you into Jazz's mind to see the struggles he has within himself.  It is all kinds of warped, but I found myself rooting for Jazz throughout the book, no matter what.

Mr. Lyga kept me guessing until the end, and I can't wait to read the next book... there better be a Next Book! : )  I give the book five out of five!

Under the Vampire Moon Contest by Lynsay Sands

I am spreading the word that Lynsay Sands has a fabulous contest going on right now in honor of her new book, Under the Vampire Moon which will be released on April 24, 2012.

You can pre-order the book now on Amazon.com.

Book Description from Amazon:

When Vampires Go On Vacation . . .
Escaping a horrible marriage, Carolyn Connor has no desire to think about men—a vow she's determined to keep while on vacation in St. Lucia. She'll take the Caribbean sun and sea and plenty of tropical drinks with those cute umbrellas poolside, thank you. She absolutely does not need male company, no matter how tan and rock-hard his body may be.
Easy enough, but then Carolyn meets the charming Marguerite Argeneau, who is infamous among her family for her matchmaking prowess . . .
Christian Notte has well known the power of finding a life mate. He's seen enough of his Argeneau relatives taken down for the count, but he never imagined he'd let himself fall in love—until he meets the enthralling, charmingly skittish, and oh-so-mortal Carolyn. But how will he reveal what he is and still convince this once-bitten mortal to trust him with her heart . . . and her forever?

Good Luck!