Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (December 6, 2012)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 498
Series: The Infernal Devices
Read Next: The Clockwork Princess (Nov. 2012)
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9781416975885
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Steampunk
Author: Website | Twitter | Blog
Series Reviews: Book 1 (5★)

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends. 

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.
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Overview:

Again, Cassandra Clare has crafted another piece of art. Continuing from the Clockwork Angel, we join Tessa on the journey full of the twists and turns that we have come to expect from Clare. Thick with mystery, laden with glorious steampunk, wrought with drama, and completed with our favorite characters, The Clockwork Prince leaves us in waiting purgatory for the Clockwork Princess.

Review:

The one thing that can consistently be said about these books is that they are well worth the wait. Cassandra Clare has such a solid world creation and concept behind each of her characters and the Clockwork Prince only perpetuates this as fact. As one of the most anticipated books of 2011, this book doesn't disappoint.

What we get from this book is deeper mystery, more about the characters we love, and triumph.  Tessa, as a female protagonist, continues to shine through in this book in her strength, courage, and unwavering loyalty. The delicate love triangle blossoms into a very intricate situation in this book. Tessa acknowledges the feelings for Will but behind that the feelings exist for Jem.

I have always been Team Jem. I feel like the idea of Will being the bad boy is overdone and cliche, where the creation and history of Jem is unique and vivid. From the color of his hair to the cane, he is unique and heartwarming. The relationships amongst these characters, and all other characters as well, are all tried and tested in this book as secrets, lies, and cheating are all.

Cassandra Clare's trademark in my eyes are her twists. You never expect the plot to unfold the way it does and she has an uncanny way of keeping you on the edge of your seat; that rings true for this book as well. It is this unfolding mystery that has me waiting for Clockwork Princess.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

In My Mailbox (22)


In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren; here we share with you, the lovely readers, what books came to us this week whether it be in the mail, from the library, purchased or borrowed.
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Again, a massive post that sums up everything I have picked up since the last time I did an IMM. There are several to be had as I just traded in my Nook and bought a Kindle Touch!


RAK
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Thank you, Cat!

For Review
Spirits of Glory by Emily Devenport


From the Library
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
The Poisoned House by Michael Ford
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin


Smashwords Freebies
Hollowland by Amanda Hocking
Betrayal by Mayandee Michel
Camille by Tess Oliver
Coexist by Julia Crane


Amazon Freebies
Starfire Angels by Melanie Nilles
Marked by Kim Richardson

Now the best part of this is getting around to reading all of these. I have a nice starter set of books on my new Kindle and I love looking at it and touching it! Most of the books that I picked up at the library are ones that I have been books that I wanted to read for a while so I am pretty excited about them. As for The Poisoned House, I have to share this story. You see, I have a test blog where I work out design kinks and new layouts. I needed a sample picture for a widget space holder and I just happened to grab the cover for The Poisoned House; to my surprise some months later (just the other day!) I come across this book in the teen section at the library. It was like destiny was calling for me to read this book, so I am sure it is going to be good!



Late Additions
Fever by Lauren DeStefano (From the Library)
Dead of Night by Lynn Viehl (From Netgalley)


What was in your mailbox?

Friday, February 24, 2012

Follow Friday (14)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison.



Activity! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most…

The interesting answer to this that I don't have one. I know that I read a lot in bed but I can't say it is my favorite place just happens to be where I end up a lot. I think that as the spring rolls around I might find my multi-colored rope lights and set up a little nook on the balcony for late night reading.

Do you have a favorite place to read?

Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Book? By J.K. Rowling?!

Have you heard? Surely, if you are in the book blog world you have heard; if you haven't, and even if you have, let me share with you some extremely exciting news:

J.K. Rowling is writing a new book!

This book is aimed for the adult audience and is not set to be similar to Harry Potter, the books we all know have brought her to such accredited standing.


"Although I've enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life."

She will be joining Little Brown for publishing and they will release her books for her worldwide in print and in eBook formats.

No details about the actual book, genre, or content have been given; the only thing announced was that the publishing deal has been finalized.

Let me just say that she is one of the most inspiring women to me and she is the storyteller, the author, the master who changed reading for me forever and I cannot wait to hear more about this! Can you?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Fever Release & Trailer

Releasing yesterday, February 21, was one of the most anticipated books of the year, Fever by Lauren DeStefano has finally arrived. As the thrilling sequel to Wither, DeStefano's riveting debut, I simply cannot wait to get my hands on it. It has been flaunted around the blog world in all of its beautiful glory and now we have the chance to indulge! Will you be getting a copy?

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing
Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

Identity Crisis: Reinvention!

At the beginning of the year, I admitted that I was unhappy with the idea of my blog title and concept. I was struggling with it and it wasn't helping that I looked at it disappointingly. Since then, I have been working extremely hard on a concept and idea to theme around. I wanted a handle, an idea, and a title. I sought out opinions, ideas, and advice from my friends, my library coworkers, and general bloggers whom I value.

This was the ending result! Within Pages has been completely converted into The Fiction Pixie. For the most part this change has been handled completely on my part. The feeds have been automatically updated with the information, the twitter page still exists but has a new name (@TheFictionPixie), goodreads is the same, the connect boxes updated, etc.

As far as email is concerned, I can still be contacted at withinpages@hotmail.com as I have ongoing relations, but the new email reflects the permanency of the site changes: thefictionpixie@gmail.com.

It is important to note that the URL to this blog has changed: http://thefictionpixie.blogspot.com. 

The only thing I was unable to automatically convert was the Facebook page. I was disappointed but I re-created a new Facebook page to match the "new" blog and would love it you could help me get it settled by liking the new page.

I've also created a new header and new grab button by myself in Gimp, and believe me, that is saying something! I think they're beautiful!

I have not been this excited for something in a while. I remember in the beginning the new squees for a new blog, but this is different. This is more than a new blog for me and I hope that you are willing to continue to join me in this final change. Have I mentioned how excited I am?

If you poke around the site and see anything that needs to be fixed or adjusted, please don't hesitate to let me know. I really hope you all enjoy the changes as much as I already am! I'm done rambling now!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Congratulations!



The winner has been chosen for the Under the Never Sky ARC giveaway! She has been contacted and claimed her prize!

Congraulations, Kim H!

Thank you everyone for the great response to the giveaway! It means so much!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Publisher: HarperCollins (January 3, 2012)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Paperback): 376
Series: Under the Never Sky (Book 1)
Source: ARC from Publisher
ISBN-13: 9781742666693
Genre: Dystopian
Author: Twitter | Blog

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

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Overview:
 
This is a brilliantly crafted debut from author Veronica Rossi. Featuring a intricate and vivid world, there exists the dichotomy of two types of peoples, the dwellers and the outsiders. When these worlds mix for Aria and Peregrine, not only are we in for a wonderful journey but we join them on their own paths to self identity and growth. Beautiful and strong are perfect words to describe Rossi's story.

Review:

From virtual reality, Aria's life is safe and pseudo. In her attempt to reach out for her mother's safety, she risks it all and loses. It is through her loss, she gains everything. Dwellers are genetically enhanced and exist within the safety of their sanitization and virtual realities. However, the Outsiders are similar to the depiction of the human race in The Time Machine; they have developed ways to survive the aether and the dangers.

This is a strong and bold setup for the factions that are at odds in this trilogy. Each "race" has a deep and solid foundation for its existence in this world and as readers we are given the information in an easy welcome to the world. On the outside, Aria has no idea how to survive and neither do we, it is always an unique experience to be able to learn about the world with the characters. What a fantastic feeling to read a book where absolutely everything is explained.

The pace of this book was interesting; it was neither slow nor extremely well paced. I struggled to stay awake when reading this book nearly every time I opened it but when the book was closed, it was all I could think about. I had to know what was going to happen to Perry and Aria. That isn't to say that it wasn't still brilliantly written. The action was well timed, realistic and even dark at times. It was true and real which is something that tends to get lost in most places when it comes to "good" and "evil".

So much of this book is beautiful but the character creation and development takes the cake. Aria and Perry start as enemies, the dweller versus the outsider are only allies in attempt to reach an end; each of them desperately needing the other but despising that same need. Aria is desperate to survive but through her journey with Perry, she becomes the woman she is meant to be. While she rarely displays fear, by the end of the book she radiates pure strength to overcome the odds. Perry, strong and dedicated to his cause, struggles and waivers with his feelings for Aria but learns truths and finds loyalty to raise to be a hero.

It stands only to reason that the two of them will continue to blossom into bigger and better people in the second book, Through the Ever Night. In a vivid and strong ending, this book has a sense of resolution but also leaves you waiting and wanting for the next step in this journey.

Rating out of 5:

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Review: It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken by Greg Behrendt & Amiira Rutola-Behrendt

It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken by Greg Behrendt & Amiira Rutola-Behrendt

Publisher: Broadway (September 5, 2006)
Age Group: Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 288
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9780767921961
Genre: Non-Fiction (Dating)

There’s no doubt about it—breakups suck. But in the first few hours or days or weeks that follow, there’s one important truth you need to recognize: Some things can’t and shouldn’t be fixed, especially that loser who dumped you or forced you to dump him. It’s called a breakup because it’s broken, and starting right here, right now, it’s time to dry your tears, put down that pint of ice cream, log out of his e-mail, and open this book to Chapter One–and start turning your breakup into a breakover.

From Greg Behrendt, the co-author of the smash two-million copy bestseller
He’s Just Not That Into You, comes It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken--the ultimate survival guide to getting over Mr. Wrong and reclaiming your inner Superfox. From how to put yourself through “he-tox,” to how to throw yourself a kick-ass pity party, Greg and his wife, Amiira, share their hilarious and helpful roadmap for getting past the heartache and back into the game.

Complete with an essential workbook to help you put the crazy down on paper and not take it out into the world, It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken is a must-have manual for finding your way back to an even more rocking you.
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Overview:

Greg and Amiira have lightened my heart with their stories; in a time where most of us think the end of the world is nigh, they show through testimonies and their own experiences that we might not have it so bad. This book is funny but entirely real. It tells us the things we need to hear when we may not have anyone else to do that. If you're open to the idea, it can snap you back to reality and be the changing point in your heart break.

Review: 

Sometimes, we all have to take the self-help book plunge. After the end of a nearly six year relationship, I am glad that my first go at self-help came in the form of this little book. Greg and Amiira aren't psychologists who are trying to fix me the reader, they're simply sharing the stories of their biggest and most disastrous break ups along with some tips and thoughts on what they had to do to survive. Literally.

What this book brought me was the peace of mind that I didn't have it as bad as some. I don't find myself setting my ex's lawn on fire or opening his email, stealing his clothes, etc. The anonymous testimonials in this book was enough to let me find some sanity. But what was even more important was the way that Greg and Amiira wrote this book; their voice in their writing was as if they knew me. I know I am some anonymous reader they will never know about but I still felt like they were talking to me, they wanted me to feel better.

This book also offers some pretty solid advice; advice that seems to come from humans instead of textbooks. One of my favorite, home-hitting quotes opened up my eyes to a new facet of reality:
"A lot of the pain you are experiencing right now is actually fear. Fear of things being different then how you liked them, fear of never finding love again, fear of being alone, fear of having to fill your time differently. We're afraid of the unknown."
 How true that was and is; not only is it true after something like a breakup but it is true in life. That one statement gave me some powerful newfound strength and I jumped into things that I knew I had been putting off, knew I was afraid of doing; I got a tattoo, I pushed forward and became an extremely beneficial source at work, I moved, and more importantly I learned to separate. None of it was easy, I was always afraid of the repercussions or the negative reactions, etc. but that simple statement, one of thousands in a book, changed my entire perspective. 

This book was amazing, funny, and real and I would recommend it to anyone who finds solace in books and needs to something comforting. 


Favorite Quote:

"Breakups can often feel like a crisis. And a person's character can be measured by how they act in a crisis."

Rating out of 5: