Are You Listening? Audiobook review: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

The Scoop:


Meet Sam LaCroix, college drop-out, fast food worker, and, oh, yeah, necromancer. Meet Douglas, head of the Council and all-around powerful necromancer. As we start the story Sam doesn't know he's a necromancer until he gets busted for smashing the tail light of Douglas's car during a rousing game of potato hockey. Douglas threatens Sam because he hasn't "registered" with the Council for the region. Sam is clueless about having any powers because his mother, a witch, and his uncle, a fellow necromancer, had his powers bound when he was a baby. Douglas doesn't care and decides to take matters into his own hands by kidnapping Sam, throwing him into a cage with Brid, a fellow abductee who happens to be a were-hound, and forcing him to learn the trade of necromancy. How will Sam get out of this jam in one piece? Along the way he is helped by his friends, Ramon, Frank and poor, be-headed Brooke, his mother and sister, and a waffle-loving harbinger named Ashley. Sam learns about his powers and finally finds some focus in his life after drifting along and not really feeling like he had a place in the world.

"Waiting on" Wednesday: The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are barely able to restrain our ethusiasm for.


My pick this week is The Iron Knight (Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa due out October 18, 2011 by Harlequin Teen.


From Goodreads.com:


Gah! There is no summary of The Iron Knight. Here's from Ms. Kagawa herself on the lack thereof: "So, where's the synopsis, you say? Worry not, that comes later." All I know is that it is a story of Ash and Puck. And, for now, that's enough for me.

My Thoughts:

I've devoured and reviewed the first three books in the Iron Fey series. I'm pacing myself to get to the two novellas that have been published so that I'm not having serious fae withdrawels until October rolls around. I'm excited to see how the story progresses (without Meghan?) through the views of Ash and Puck.

Review: Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog


The Scoop:

Morgan Sparks and Cameron Browne are the perfect couple. They've known each other forever--they live next door to each other and they even have the same birthday. Morgan is a psychic and gives readings to her fellow classmates for french fries and random favors. Cameron is the perfect male specimen and the sophomore quarterback of their high school's football team. Everything is going perfectly for this perfect couple until a week before their joint sweet sixteen party. Enter the mysterious, if goofily clumsy, Pip Merriweather. Upon Pip's arrival Cam starts acting differently--distant to Morgan, his physical prowess diminishes, oh, and he starts growing wings. As in fairy wings. Apparently Cam is a changeling that was dumped in the mortal realm because he was a sickly fairy baby and not expected to live. He did live but his older brother, and heir to the throne, did not. Now the fairy king wants his only living son to come back to the Otherworld and has sent Pip back to make the exchange. So it's up to Morgan to determine her true destiny and keep her true love with her.

Teaser Tuesdays (6/28/11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

"Alona Dare, former Homecoming Queen, varsity cheerleading cocaptain, fashionista and mean girl supreme of Groundsboro High, had died in her gym clothes--short red shorts and a cheap white shirt. If you don't believe in karma, that alone should give you cause for reconsideration."

Queen of the Dead (Ghost and the Goth #2) by Stacey Kade, pg. 2

"Waiting on" Wednesday: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are barely able to restrain our ethusiasm for.

My pick this week (and my very first one ever) is The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler due out 11/21/11 by Razorbill.

From Goodreads.com:

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

My Thoughts:

Ever since I read Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why a few years ago I have been waiting with bated breath for his next book release and it's finally here--well, it will be in a few months. A recent article in Entertainment Weekly gives a very good explanation of the length of time between publications.

Review: Tiger's Curse (Tiger Saga #1) by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

The Scoop:

Kelsey Hayes is a regular old high school graduate. Or so she thinks.

Kelsey ends up like many post-high school graduates in line at the temp agency in her hometown of Salem, Oregon looking for a summer job. Some recent grads might be looking for an office, fast-food or retail summer job but the one that Kelsey ends up with is a two-week overnight position as assistant to the dog and tiger trainer at the visiting circus. She starts out mainly doing clean-up and selling tickets but after a few days of walking the dogs she is introduced to Dhiren, the white Bengal tiger. She instantly feels a connection to him and, even though he looks dangerous like any tiger might, Kelsey doesn't fear him and feels comfortable enough to want to spend time near his enclosure, writing in her journal and reading him plays and poetry.
One night, Kelsey stands staring at Dhiren (she has affectionately shortened his name to Ren) and whispers to him, "I wish you were free." A couple of days later she meets a distinguished Indian gentleman named Anik Kadam who has come to purchase Ren from the circus and take him back to India and release him onto a wildlife reserve. Kelsey is hired by Mr. Kadam to come along to India as Ren's caretaker. Before leaving for India Mr. Kadam shares a story of a prince from over 300 years ago that was well-loved by all but was betrayed by his brother and betrothed. The story Mr. Kadam tells Kelsey ends with Prince Dhiran being killed and ripped limb-from-limb and his pieces tossed in the river. Upon arriving to India, Kelsey finds that the story ends much differently. Her tiger Ren is actually Prince Dhiren and it appears as though Kelsey is a daughter of the goddess Durga and can aid Ren and his brother, Kirshan, in obtaining all of the objects that will help them break their curse and live as mortal men.

Teaser Tuesdays (6/21/11)

Yay! I'm playing along to my very first meme and it's a teaser!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teasers:

"Should a tiger eat energy bars? You probably need something with more protein, and the only thing around here with protein is me, but don't even think about it. I taste terrible." 

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck, pg. 80

Review: You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard


Who wouldn't like a book where the main character has her very own, real live My Little Pony (hot pink with an ice cream cone on the rump)?


When we first meet Kayla she is just about to turn Sweet Sixteen. Her mother, a party and event planner, has the perfect party all planned out. But, perfect for who? Not Kayla who has be telling her mother all along that nothing about this party sounds fun or even her style. Kayla is more likely to wear a sailor style dress from Old Navy with fishnet stockings and Converse sneakers than to conform to what a typical teenage girl would wear. And her mother is creating a typical Sweet Sixteen party with pink decorations, punch and cake. The only positive point about this party is that her best friend Nicole promises to be there after an anniversary dinner with her boyfriend--not more than an hour late, she says. Several hours later Kayla is set to blow out the candles on her cake and her friend has yet to arrive. Miserable and angry Kayla wishes for all her past birthday wishes to come true since they never have before. And, wouldn't you know it? Kayla wakes up the next day and finds her own lifesize My Little Pony scampering around the yard. Her other wishes include Raggedy Ann coming to life, wanting to be a mermaid and, the one that may be the most detrimental to her life and friendship with Nicole, to be kissed by her crush of three years, Ben, who happens to be Nicole's boyfriend. Then follows a story that has Kayla trying to figure out who she is, who her friends are and how she wants to see the people in her school and life and how they ulitimately should be seeing her.

Review: Iron Fey series . . . so far

And, drum roll, please. Here is my very first review posting on my brand new book review blog (and bear with me as I find my legs in this venture and fine-tune my reviews over time). And I made it extra special by reviewing the first three books in the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. Reviews of the novellas in the series and the fourth book will be added post haste (or post when I get a chance to read them). Click on the title links to take you to the goodreads.com summary of each book.

 
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

We meet Meghan Chase just before her 16th birthday when all she is hoping for is that her mother remembers that she is supposed to take her to get her learner's permit--the learner's permit that will lead to a driver's license that will get her out of the backwoods pig farm where she grew up. (Well, where she grew up after she and her mother moved after her father's mysterious disappearance into a lake.) This doesn't ever end up mattering because between the time that school ends for the day and the time she finally gets home (after walking home when she thinks her mother has forgotten her promise about the learner's permit) her best friend, Robbie Goodfell, has given a pig nose to one of their classmates, Meghan has seen a mysterious pale-faced, dark haired boy watching her from the woods and her little brother has been replaced by a very vicious changeling who has attacked and wounded Meghan's mother. It's a this point that Meghan learns that she is the half-breed daughter of Oberon, King of the Seelie Court and Robbie is actually Robin Goodfellow, aka Puck, King Oberon's favorite lackey. Meghan and Puck venture into Nevernever to try and rescue her brother and defeat the Iron Fey and King Machina, who are trying to use the electonic/industrial advancements of humans to feed their rise.

Welcome to my book review blog!

Hello to those of you that have found your way here! Yes, this is yet another in a long line of book review blogs that are popping up all over the blogosphere (is that word still en vogue?). I decided I was at a point in my life (and career as a librarian) that I needed to keep better track of what I was reading and how I felt about those books. One of the most popular questions I get asked while working in my public library setting is, "Can you recommend a good book to me?" This is my way of keeping track of those good books (and maybe some not-so-good books) that I read.

Admittedly, a majority of what you will see here on review are going to be young adult because that seems to be my go-to genre. Once in a while I will be inclined to review (or post an accompaniment link) to a book of another genre.

In all honesty I'm a fan of several blogs that have very unique review styles and I'm still trying to come to grips with my own. So I'm sure, over time, you will see some transformations occur. In the meantime, I'm pleased you can join me and hope you stick around to see where this little project goes.

Thanks and just keep readin'!

You can e-mail me at: thereaderandthebook (@) gmail (dot) com.