Another Lunar Chronicles Book!

Jeeze, I leave for a little while and amazing things go down!

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles .1) by Marissa Meyer

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

Published by Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: January 27, 2015

Okay, I just need to take a second to stop jumping up and down! It's 256 pages, so it's n0vel-length. I cannot wait to read about her descent into a need for power and control! This will also tide me over until November when Winter is released. 

Book Review: Cress By Marissa Meyer & Giveaway

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Best Bits: My emotions! I really liked Cinder, and Scarlet was even better. That's a formula that usually means I've set myself up for disappointment. Cress surpassed my expectations, and the plot built on the last two books while throwing in some crazy twists, and great character development. I'm sure I must have looked a bit unhinged as I read the second half of the book. There was audible gasping and looks of shock...sadly no one understood exactly what was going on (and I wasn't about to spoil my sister who read the first book earlier this winter).

Meyer has a gift for creating complex female characters. Meyer has allowed her characters to be imperfect, to experience fear, happiness, love, longing, and desperation. She doesn't let them fall into the usual damsel in distress/strong and flawless tropes. Each girl is completely different than her fellow protagonists, too. Scarlet, Cress, and Cinder have unique experiences that have shaped their character. I particularly enjoyed seeing how growing up in a satellite has impacted the expectations of Cress when it comes to human interaction and earth. Despite their different circumstances, each girl experience similar emotions. They have their "prince", their own reasons for fighting against Levana, but their voices are so well-formed and different.

Nit Picks: I wish it had been longer. Ok, I know that's silly...the book is over 500 pages long. I just can't handle the prospect of waiting 1+ years until Winter. Someone hold me while I cry.

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles 3) 
By Marissa Meyer
Published by Feiwel & Friends
560 Pages
Received via Contest Win. Thanks MacTeenBooks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Don't forget, this post counts toward the monthly comment contest! See details in the sidebar!

Stacking the Shelves (December 15)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews! It's a way to highlight the books that everyone got throughout the week.

Won from MacTeen Books (a huge thanks!)

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Published by Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: February 4, 2014

Purchased 

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

 When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

Books I'm Thankful For...

Inspired by a post on the MacTeenBooks blog, I wanted to spotlight some of the books that I'm thankful for this year (this includes old and new favorites)!

 The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani and The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (Pictured:Scarlet, Book 2). Both have become my favorite things of the year. I've been completely pulled in by both, and they have amazing (and unique) perspectives on fairy tales.

 

 Slimed by Mathew Klickstein brought up all my 90's kid nostalgia, and because of it I revisited a lot of old memories and shared stories with the friends I've had since grade school. Plus, the author just seems cool in general.

 

The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan (Pictured: The House of Hades, Book 4) & Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (Pictured: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). Two great series. Harry Potter was something that brought my entire family together, as we each read them and discussed theories. Amazingly, Rick Riordan's books have done the same. Plus, I'm never going to complain about well-written stories revolving around mythology.

 Matilda by Roald Dahl and 45 Pounds by K. A. Barson. I know that these two seem an unlikely pair, but they both have amazing characters that I related to. My local bookstore is doing a drive where you can donate a book to a child in need, and I chose Matilda. It's a classic childhood book, and what kid hasn't been upset over the power that adults have (especially when they point out that there's nothing kids can do about it). 45 Pounds was a different read for me. I thought that the book described what life is like as a teen who struggled with food. Ah, loved it!

What books are you grateful for this year?

Guest Post: Book Review of Cinder by Marissa Meyer

My name is Amanda and I'm guest reviewing on Cornucopia of Reviews. I am a junior in college and, like my sister, I really enjoy reading. Typical genres that interest me are adventure, comedy and horror. My sister has attempted to get me to read many books that she enjoys. However, I rarely finish them or even read them. But when my sister purchased Cinder by Marissa Meyer I had the opposite experience. 

In order for me to finish reading a book, it needs to draw me in fairly quickly. This book drew me in within the first chapter. In the beginning the reading learns about cinder, a cyborg mechanic, a handsome prince and, a mysterious plague. Normally, I don't pick up books that include romance because I find that romantic novels can portray romance in an unrealistic manner. Cinder was different because the prince, Kai, didn't know that Cinder was a cyborg and he saw them as lesser than humans. The romance in the story was not typical romance because it wasn't shallow drama. The issue is that Cinder can't tell the prince what she is because he will reject her. 

Another aspect of the story that I liked was the queen. She was one of my favorite characters in the novel for many reasons. The queen first appears kind but the reader soon learns that she is truly evil. Her ruthlessness emerges when she controls and manipulates people's thoughts. 

The whole world that the story took place in was extremely different from the world of the original Cinderella story. It was not a typical European world; Citizens had ID chips, there was a threat of a lunar society, a plague struck fear among people and cyborgs. I loved the book and was surprised with the amount of plot twists. The farther I got into the book, the more I wanted to keep reading because each twist added another dimension of mystery. The romance was balanced with strong character development. I am very excited to read Scarlet because it is based on a fairy tale that I personally enjoy more than Cinderella because it is creepier!


*Thanks to my sister for stopping by with a review. Now that I know she'll say yes to me, expect me to harass her into reviewing every so often. 

The Gift of Cinder

This is my sister, holding the copy of Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, that I bought for her. Yes, I literally bought her a copy, since I'm pretty sure that I've loaned out my copy...and I can't remember which friend has it.

We have fairly different tastes in books. She's totally prepared for the creepy, scary, and the attention-grabbing. I can only handle that in small doses before I have to sleep with the light on and a Disney movie playing on a TV. It's not pretty.

There are some books that we do have in common. Harry Potter, Howl's Moving Castle, The Hunger Games...these are all books with strong characters and adventure. That's why I thought that she would like Cinder. It's got kick-ass female characters (good and evil), and a romance that doesn't overpower the story. My sister is also someone that needs to be grabbed within the first 25 pages to really get through and enjoy a book. I knew that this one was perfect for that. When I read it, I couldn't set it down!

I imagine that she'll be picking up Scarlet soon, too. Although, I'm going to let her buy that one on her own. Her review will be guest-posted this week, so look forward to a new voice on the blog :)

Waiting on Wednesday (October 30)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

Cress by Marissa Meyer
 

Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Published by February 4, 2014
Release Date: Feiwel & Friends 

I literally cannot wait...I'm so impatient and I love the cover. Why is February so far away :(

Mini-Review: Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts: Cinder totally captivated me. If I were to look back, I would say that it, in combination with Scarlet, are my top two books of the year. I know I'm really behind on this one, since it was released in January of 2012. Oops. I was so involved in this book that it was pretty much all I talked about during the few breaks that I took (I'm sure that I annoyed a couple people). The story is great because, while it's a re-telling, the world-building is awesome. The characters are fresh, and surprisingly aren't frustrating. I never wanted to bonk anyone over the head for making idiotic choices. Yes, one of the major plot points is predictable, but it's a re-telling...so that's kind of how it works! 

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner

My Thoughts: Regular reads here will know how I usually see the second book in a series. I won't get into my cranky rant on that, but I will say that Scarlet really surprised me. We are introduced to new characters, the romance is reasonable (no eye-rolling over insta-love), and the plot becomes even more explosive. There were a lot of moments where I would read a paragraph, say "no" aloud, and I'm sure to the outside observer I looked like I had lost touch with reality. 

What I really appreciate about both of these books is the way that Meyer crafts strong female characters. Yes, they experience romance in the books, yet they aren't reliant upon their male leads to protect and save them. Does that mean that they don't occasionally step in and help? No, what it means is that Meyer has crafted a series where it's really equal. The characters help each other, betray each other, and learn about who they are. 

Seriously, so good! I can't even handle waiting for the third book. I'm going to go cry in a corner now.

Stacking the Shelves (December 1)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews! It's a way to highlight the books that everyone got throughout the week.

For Review: 

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black 

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed. 

Published by Bloomsbury USA
Release Date: February 12, 2013

Won from the fabulous gals at WinterHaven Books:  

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

Published by Feiwel & Friends 



Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt


Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

Published by Spencer Hill Press

Purchased:

Reached by Ally Condie

After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.

In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times-bestsellingMatched trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without.

Published by Dutton

The Lies That Bind by Lisa & Laura Roecker

Just when Kate Lowry thought she had life at elite private school Pemberly Brown figured out, she cracks open a fortune cookie to find a message from her best friend Grace--who's supposed to be dead.

Another Sister Gone

A classmate has gone missing, and Kate soon realizes that the disappearance is tied to the secret societies that rule her private school. Her best friend died for their secrets, and there's no way she'll let them get away with it twice. It's up to quirky outsider Kate to get some answers, but in a school where every answer leads to more questions and nothing's as it seems, who can she trust?

Published by Sourcebooks Fire

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang


I should not exist. But I do.

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

Published by HarperCollins

Christmas Wishes by Debbie Macomber

Christmas Letters
Katherine O'Connor (known as K.O.) adores her five-year-old twin nieces; and strongly objects to her sister's plans to dispense with Christmas. Zelda is following the theories of child psychologist Wynn Jeffries, author of The Free Child (and, as it happens, K.O.'s neighbor). K.O. is particularly horrified by his edict to "bury Santa under the sleigh," and she's out to prove that Wynn and his ideas are full of snow. He's not going to ruin her nieces' Christmas! Too bad the guy's so darned attractive! 

Rainy Day Kisses
Seventeen years ago Susannah Simmons was a career girl who knew nothing about babies. But after babysitting her infant niece, Michelle, Susannah learned that one determined and screaming baby can make the corporate world look like child's play. Thank goodness for her charming neighbor Nate Townsend. Now he's her charming husband, and Susannah's a mother as well as an aunt. And every Christmas Eve, Michelle tells her cousins how their mom met their dad a story in which she plays a starring role!